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# Seven's World Cup semi-finals reach 6.5 million before Brisbane final
- URL: https://www.promptthemarket.com/seven-s-world-cup-semis-draw-6-5-million-as-final-looms/
- Published: 2026-11-11T20:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-11T19:59:59.000Z
- Description: Australia's 44-12 win over Samoa reached 3.7 million people and New Zealand's win over Tonga 2.9 million, days after Seven told its AGM that first-quarter TV revenue was down. The Kangaroos meet the Kiwis at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.
- Author: Editor News
- Tags: Media, Australia, Seven Media Group, #author-james-dore

![James Dore](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e4/01/e4017178-c1da-4131-80aa-35f02cb5b999/content/images/2026/09/james-dore.jpg)

By **James Dore** · 2026-11-12

TLDR

Seven's Rugby League World Cup semi-finals drew a combined reach of 6.5 million people across 7 and 8 November, with Australia's win over Samoa pulling the larger crowd. A Kangaroos-versus-Kiwis final in Brisbane on Sunday follows, as the network's TV revenue tracks below a softening market.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

01Australia beat Samoa 44-12 at Allianz Stadium, reaching 3.7 million viewers with an average audience of 2.1 million.

02New Zealand beat Tonga 34-10 in Newcastle, drawing a national reach of 2.9 million people.

03Combined semi-final reach of 6.5 million came as Seven reported FY27 Q1 TV revenue down in a falling market.

04Seven's TV ad revenue share stood at 41.6% at the FY26 annual results, against 44.1% in the first half.

05Both the Kangaroos and Jillaroos advanced to finals against New Zealand, giving Seven two high-profile matches.

## What the numbers delivered

Australia's Sunday-night win over Samoa at Allianz Stadium drew a reach of 3.7 million people and a national average audience of 2.1 million, according to B&T's weekend ratings report.[\[10\]](https://www.bandt.com.au/weekend-ratings-6-8-11-2026-6-5m-people-tune-in-for-the-rugby-league-world-cup-semis/?ref=promptthemarket.com) New Zealand's 34-10 win over Tonga in Newcastle on the Saturday reached 2.9 million, with an average audience of 1.5 million.[\[10\]](https://www.bandt.com.au/weekend-ratings-6-8-11-2026-6-5m-people-tune-in-for-the-rugby-league-world-cup-semis/?ref=promptthemarket.com) Across both nights the combined reach was 6.5 million people.

Both matches were live and exclusive to Seven and 7plus in Australia. [\[3\]](https://www.rlwc2026.com/news/rugby-league-world-cup-2026-semi-finals?ref=promptthemarket.com) The final is at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Sunday at 7.35pm AEDT, a repeat of the 2013, 2008 and 2000 World Cup finals.[\[8\]](https://www.rlwc2026.com/news/the-wrap-mens-semi-finals?ref=promptthemarket.com)

## Seven's commercial position

Seven told its annual general meeting, held days before the semi-finals, that first-quarter TV revenue in FY27 was down in a market running at mid-single-digit declines. [\[4\]](https://www.promptthemarket.com/seven-media-group-starts-trading-as-smg-on-tuesday/) That followed a first-half FY26 period where total TV revenue share reached 44.1% and revenue fell 0.8% in a market that dropped 10.1%. [\[5\]](https://announcements.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20260224/pdf/06wn7mjm2p04dj.pdf?ref=promptthemarket.com) Seven's full-year result in June disclosed that TV conditions had deteriorated materially in the fourth quarter. [\[6\]](https://announcements.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20260611/pdf/070hztpwgkz8c7.pdf?ref=promptthemarket.com)

## The Pacific story behind the numbers

The Rugby League World Cup 2026 semi-finals wrap described Tonga and Samoa as bringing "so much passion and colour" to the tournament before exiting at the last four. [\[8\]](https://www.rlwc2026.com/news/the-wrap-mens-semi-finals?ref=promptthemarket.com) Australia's win was played in front of 41,259 fans at Allianz Stadium.[\[1\]](https://www.rlwc2026.com/news/kangaroos-find-best-to-power-into-cup-final?ref=promptthemarket.com)

## What comes next for Seven

Both the Kangaroos and Jillaroos advanced to finals against New Zealand, giving Seven two matches to broadcast, which TV Tonight's David Knox called "a dream result for Seven".[\[11\]](https://tvtonight.com.au/2026/11/2m-viewers-as-australia-scores-in-rugby-league-world-cup.html?ref=promptthemarket.com)

Seven's FY26 annual result showed total TV audience share up 1.1 percentage points through end-May, even as revenue lagged. [\[6\]](https://announcements.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20260611/pdf/070hztpwgkz8c7.pdf?ref=promptthemarket.com) Whether the 6.5 million combined semi-final reach converts into ad bookings the market has not yet delivered this quarter is the open question heading into the final.

SOURCES & CITATIONS

1. [Kangaroos find their best to power into the World Cup final](https://www.rlwc2026.com/news/kangaroos-find-best-to-power-into-cup-final?ref=promptthemarket.com)
2. [Ponga supreme as Kiwis surge into final](https://www.rlwc2026.com/news/ponga-supreme-as-kiwis-surge-into-final?ref=promptthemarket.com)
3. [Rugby League World Cup 2026 semi-finals official release](https://www.rlwc2026.com/news/rugby-league-world-cup-2026-semi-finals?ref=promptthemarket.com)
4. [Seven Media Group starts trading as SMG on Tuesday](https://www.promptthemarket.com/seven-media-group-starts-trading-as-smg-on-tuesday/)
5. [Seven H1 FY26 ASX results disclosure](https://announcements.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20260224/pdf/06wn7mjm2p04dj.pdf?ref=promptthemarket.com)
6. [Seven FY26 annual results ASX disclosure](https://announcements.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20260611/pdf/070hztpwgkz8c7.pdf?ref=promptthemarket.com)
7. [Seven Media Group press release: Seven Network in 2027](https://www.sevenmediagroup.com.au/media-releases/seven-network-in-2027/?ref=promptthemarket.com)
8. [The wrap: men's semi-finals, RLWC2026](https://www.rlwc2026.com/news/the-wrap-mens-semi-finals?ref=promptthemarket.com)
9. [B&T, Weekend ratings 6-8 November 2026](https://www.bandt.com.au/weekend-ratings-6-8-11-2026-6-5m-people-tune-in-for-the-rugby-league-world-cup-semis/?ref=promptthemarket.com)
10. [TV Tonight, 2m viewers as Australia scores in Rugby League World Cup](https://tvtonight.com.au/2026/11/2m-viewers-as-australia-scores-in-rugby-league-world-cup.html?ref=promptthemarket.com)

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What were the Rugby League World Cup semi-final scores?

New Zealand beat Tonga 34-10 in Newcastle on 7 November, and Australia beat Samoa 44-12 at Allianz Stadium in Sydney on 8 November. Both matches were broadcast live and exclusively on Seven and 7plus.

How many people watched the Rugby League World Cup semi-finals on Seven?

The two semi-finals drew a combined reach of 6.5 million people. Australia's win over Samoa reached 3.7 million with a national average audience of 2.1 million. New Zealand's win over Tonga reached 2.9 million.

Why do these ratings matter commercially for Seven?

Seven reported that FY27 first-quarter TV revenue was down in a market running at mid-single-digit declines. Live sport at this audience scale is one of the few formats that reliably attracts advertising spend in a soft TV market. A Kangaroos-versus-Kiwis final in Brisbane is the network's biggest remaining broadcast opportunity in the quarter.

![James Dore](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e4/01/e4017178-c1da-4131-80aa-35f02cb5b999/content/images/2026/09/james-dore.jpg)

[James Dore](https://www.promptthemarket.com/james-dore/)

James Dore is founder and editor of Prompt the Market and Strategy Director at Bushnote, a Sydney strategy, SEO and AI search agency. He has a background in strategy, media and financial services, and led consumer product marketing at MONEYME. He writes on AI search, answer engines, technology policy and media economics.