Andrew Hore: Blues CEO on the success of Super Rugby and tickets to the finals selling out

Super Rugby will be ending with a roar, Eden Park packed full of fans. 

Tickets for the final between the Blues and the Chiefs have sold out, 44,000 people expected to fill the stands as they play. 

Blues CEO Andrew Hore told Mike Hosking that they’re absolutely delighted with the viewership of the competition, with TV broadcast watchers increasing once again. 

He said there was 750,000 watches for the Blues v Crusaders for example, and a record number for the Crusaders v Moana Pasifika. 

Hore said that along with those numbers, they’re very happy with the over 20,000 stadium watchers they’ve had in other games, even if they didn’t sell out Eden Park. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Our good news for Rugby Superfinals to sellout took a
couple of hours and forty four thousand people are going
to watch the Blues face the Chief, so that's exciting.
Blue CEO Andrew Hall with is Andrew Morning to you.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Good morning, Mike. How are you today?

Speaker 1 (00:11):
Very well? Indeed, talk me through what I saw last
week in the semi final with next to no one
there and the sellout. What's happened there? How do we
explain this?

Speaker 2 (00:19):
Yeah, look, there's a couple of things. Yeah. One look, overall,
we've absolutely delighted with the comp like TV broadcast has
gone up again. There was seven hundred and fifty thousand
watched Blues versus Crusaders for example, and record number actually
for the Crusaders Best of Mona which was interesting. So overall,
along with the digital reach, and we're really happy with

(00:40):
the over twenty thousand we've had in the other games
we've had at Eden Park this year. So last week
I think we've said the competition organizers and what we've
delighted about is having a new commission because we think
we'll finally be listened to. Is that Auckland and Sydney
is not a great environment on a Friday evening when
there's a weather bomb and quarter finals don't or semi finals.

(01:01):
We've still got work to do on I was the
opposition that said, we're delighted with the week before in
the quarter final against the Drill, which really brought an
atmosphere which was outstanding. So we're not a finished product.
We've got to keep working really hard to get this
commission up and running and really driving things forward. Because

(01:22):
they've shown that they're already prepared to listen, they're already
get some afternoon games, so that's good good.

Speaker 1 (01:27):
So yeah, but the problem with the afternoon games is
we love it as a spectator, but of course television
not so good. I mean, you can't do you get
eyeballs at night, don't you. That's what it boils down to.

Speaker 2 (01:36):
Yeah, it does, And it's getting that balance. It's a
bit like the high performance fandom piece, like we went
a little bit too much. Everything was about high performance
were actually it's about the fan and getting them down there,
and the boys love playing in front of people. So
it's that whole balance. Mike, Hey, you know it's and
isn't it nice to have balance of not having the
crusaders in the farm.

Speaker 1 (01:56):
Yes, did the collection. So how does the money work
by hosting the final if not a semi final? Do
you gain by that?

Speaker 2 (02:07):
Yeah? We do, Yeah, we do. In our competition it's
always been the way. There is a payment to the
other team as well, but that's why so and so
when you don't have that, this is the problem with
the comp at the moment. Unlike mr L with there's
a really strong base payment which gives commercial stability. We

(02:28):
sort of live the finals and if you don't make
finals then you're in a you're in a really tough spiral, right,
So there's got to be something we've got to look
at in that whole model. We agree with that. However,
when it comes around, you're almost saving for the day
that it doesn't.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
Yeah, okay. As far as the ticket sales are concerned,
I don't know if you is it all the Chiefs
coming north or does Auckland support Auckland.

Speaker 2 (02:53):
No, we found that this has been Britain. I think
it shows too that Auckland is big enough now to
you know, to be successful in both league and rugby union.
I don't think. I don't think it's one versus other.

Speaker 1 (03:06):
Of course not.

Speaker 2 (03:06):
Our majority of our tickets were sold to a membership
base before even on public. Well, not a majority, but
a large percentage which are which are Awkland people, which
is outstanding. There's no doubt they mate, you can't get
away from it. They're coming up the motorway and that
that actually makes it more exciting, which is brilliant. We'll
have a really good atmosphere, good stuff.

Speaker 1 (03:26):
Good on you mate, go well, appreciate it very much.
Andrew Hall, who's the the Blue CEO the Big Final.
For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to
news talks that'd be from six am weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio