The TV ratings for Saturday night (Sunday AEDT) in the US are in, with rugby league hitting the mark in Las Vegas.
The NRL returned for its second stab at the American market to open the premiership season with the US ratings showing a 510 per cent increase in viewership for the first NRL game.
The Raiders' 30-8 victory over the Warriors, which aired on Saturday afternoon Vegas time, attracted 371,000 total viewers on the FOX free-to-air broadcast network.
The Raiders' Ethan Strange and Hudson Young celebrate winning the round one NRL match between the Canberra Raiders and the Warriors. Getty
Taking into account the viewership on the international streaming service Watch NRL, it is understood that the overall audience for the Raiders-Warriors game exceeded 400,000 people in the US.
Remarkably, this accounts for more eyeballs on screens than the Warriors' base in New Zealand.
During last year's inaugural visit, the league's most watched game was the Rabbitohs clash with the Sea Eagle. This drew an average audience of just 61,000 — a lower figure than the NRL would have hoped for.
The ratings from the pilot year showed that a small American audience tuned in and that viewers dropped off as the double-header wore on.
Watch the 2025 NRL premiership live and free on Nine and 9Now.
But 12 months on, the NRL has seen exponential year-on-year growth in its product, and if things continue on an upward trend, the code could challenge other major sports before the end of the league's five-year deal with Las Vegas.
Like the NRL, the Formula 1 world championship is also tapping into the US market.
November's Las Vegas Grand Prix was watched by 951,000 Americans on ESPN.
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But, similarly to last year's subside in viewers for the festival of rugby league, the numbers reduced for the second NRL match at Allegiant Stadium with the Panthers-Sharks only attracting 33,000.
It is believed the one-sided women's Test match between the Jillaroos and England could have affected the ratings, with viewers switching off during the 90-4 contest.
The blowout opening Super League fixture between Wigan and Warrington did not have ratings recorded as it was broadcast on the FOX Soccer Plus channel.
Despite all of this, the NRL double-header delivered more than 400,000 American viewers to FOX — enough to make rival US broadcasters take note.
In Australia, TV audiences across Nine and Fox Sports are set to reach 2 million, including around 300,000 viewers in New Zealand.
With Nine broadcasting the Jiillaroos and Panthers-Sharks matches live and free, the women's Test set the record for the most viewed women's international rugby league match, and the NRL heavyweights attracted the biggest-ever Australian TV audience for a regular NRL season game.
NRL boss Andrew Abdo was pleased with the review highlights Vegas had produced but also reiterated that the league's goals would take time to achieve.
"I'm extremely proud of what we've achieved in the US," he said.
"Played in front of the biggest crowd for a season opener in 15 years, the huge increase in TV audience provides us further momentum in showcasing rugby league to Americans … the challenge for us is to keep the momentum going.
The venture will continue again in 2026, with the Bulldogs and Dragons among the sides rumoured to be making the trip to Sin City.