Rugby World Cup Japan's opening match draws high ratings

The Rugby World Cup 2019 Japan tournament kicked off on September 20th.
Television coverage will be provided by Nippon TV (terrestrial, BS Nippon TV) and NHK (General TV, BS channels), focusing mainly on Japan's matches and the final. The sports channel J SPORTS will broadcast all 48 matches live, while the sports streaming service DAZN will provide highlights of every match.
(Image ⓒ Fort Kishimoto)

On the first day of the tournament, Nippon TV Network, NHK (BS1), and J SPORTS broadcast the opening ceremony and the Japan vs. Russia match, resulting in simultaneous broadcasts across terrestrial, BS, and CS channels.

Nippon TV Network's broadcast of the opening match (7:30 PM - 9:54 PM) recorded high ratings. (Figures from Video Research Ltd.)
The average viewership rating (Kanto region) was 18.3%, with the peak instantaneous rating (same region) reaching 25.5% in the 40th minute of the second half (9:43 PM), just before the match ended. In the Kansai region, the average rating was 21.0%, and the peak instantaneous rating hit 25.6% at times like when Kotaro Matsushima scored his third try at 9:30 PM, both figures exceeding those of the Kanto region.