BBC’s viewing figures from Warrington v St Helens Challenge Cup clash with full numbers revealed
An action shot from the Challenge Cup quarter-final tie between Warrington Wolves and St Helens in April 2025
The BBC’s coverage of Sunday’s Challenge Cup quarter-final between Warrington Wolves and St Helens brought a mixed bag of viewing figures.
Screened live on BBC Two with a 2.30pm kick-off, hosts Warrington ultimately got the better of local foes Saints on home soil, winning 20-12.
The pair had been locked level at 6-6 at the break, with a Marc Sneyd penalty and a breakaway try from England skipper George Williams making the all-important difference for Wire come the final hooter.
Wire’s win saw them set a tantalising semi-final clash up with Leigh Leopards, with the draw for the last four of the competition having taken place live on the BBC at half-time, conducted by football icon Stuart Pearce MBE and pundit Jon Wilkin.
LRL RECOMMENDS: Challenge Cup attendance watch – Hull derby draws huge crowd as quarter-final showpiece
BBC’s viewing figures from Warrington v St Helens Challenge Cup clash with full numbers revealed
An average viewership of 398,000 watched Sunday’s last-eight tie between the Wolves and Saints, which is considerably down on the average of 446,000 for the derby between Hull FC and Hull KR 24 hours earlier. That game was shown on BBC One.
Of the two, Sunday’s game though did have a higher peak audience though, drawing in a high of 560,000. The Hull derby’s peak sat at 501,000, with the context behind that being the Grand National was also screened at the same time.
And despite the Grand National, it’s the Hull derby which came out on top in terms of audience share with 7.1% – higher than most of the Super League clashes that have been shown live by the BBC so far this year.
Wire v Saints managed to attract a 6.3% audience share, with its competition including Shrek 2, being shown on BBC One, and the highlights of Formula 1’s Japanese Grand Prix, which were screened on Channel 4.
The BBC’s next rugby league coverage now comes on Easter Saturday, April 19, when they will show a dress rehearsal of the Challenge Cup semi-final as Warrington travel to Leigh in Round 8 of the Super League season.
Taking place during ‘Rivals Round’, that game kicks off at 1.30pm (BST).
With thanks, as always, to Rugby League on TV.
LRL RECOMMENDS: Challenge Cup semi-final line-up sets 45-year record with huge Hull KR omen
