TV Ratings: Rugby semi final delivers Nine a win with 1.788 million viewers

[KenyaQuin]

TV Ratings: Rugby semi final delivers Nine a win with 1.788 million viewers
by: Michael Bodey
From: The Australian October 17, 2011 10:49AM

The Rugby World Cup semi final delivered for the Nine Network last night with the Wallabies and All Blacks attracting 1.788 million viewers in metro markets.

That figure included one of the biggest audiences of the year in Sydney, 710,000, and 409,000 in Brisbane. With 409,000 viewers in Melbourne, 141,000 in Adelaide and 152,000 in Perth, the rugby also drew a bigger audience in all three cities than the recent NRL Grand Final, which also screened on Nine.

A separate viewing figure for high definition viewing of the match on GEM – or on Fox Sports - is not yet available. Likewise a significant portion of people would have watched in pubs and clubs which are not factored into the overall ratings.

The Trans-Tasman rugby league test between Australia and New Zealand, which screened on Nine earlier in the day, averaged 943,000 viewers, including 460,000 in Sydney and 292,000 in Brisbane for Darryn Lockyer’s last match.


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Nine dominated the evening with Nine News pulling 1.382 million viewers and Underbelly: Razor 1.336 million, although the period drama series did not experience any boost in figures from the rugby.

The evening’s figures are also skewed slightly by Seven Perth’s broadcast of its annual Telethon, which averaged 212,000 viewers in that city.

Nine had a three-channel share of 35.1 per cent for the evening, ahead of Seven’s 27.8 per cent, Ten’s 19.3 per cent and ABC's 14.2 per cent.

The telethon boosted Perth’s numbers for Seven News and Wild Boys, which ranked fourth and fifth for the night with 1.243 million and 997,000 viewers respectively (with Wild Boys having 229,000 in Perth). Sunday Night did not screen in Perth but still attracted 956,000 in the remaining four capital cities.

The evening was not kind to Ten, which had 872,000 viewers for Junior Masterchef and 827,000 for Terra Nova. Its new US series Ringer, struggled with 359,000.

But its diet of motorsport was solid with Casey Stoner’s world championship-winning ride at Phillip Island attracting 317,000 viewers to Ten and another 293,000 to the high-definition channel One in an eye-opener for networks on audience preference for HD sport. The FIA Formula One had 370,000 viewers for One.

ABC1 can be content with the debut of its car series, Wide Open Road, which opened with 774,000 viewers in the difficult 7.30pm slot. Most of that audience stayed for the The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency at 8.30pm (727,000).

1 RUGBY: WORLD CUP: NEW ZEALAND VS. AUSTRALIA NINE 1,788,000
2 NINE NEWS SUNDAY 1,382,000
3 UNDERBELLY: RAZOR 1,336,000
4 SEVEN NEWS - SUN 1,243,000
5 WILD BOYS SEVEN 997,000
6 SUNDAY NIGHT SEVEN 956,000
7 TRANS-TASMAN RUGBY LEAGUE TEST 2011 NINE 943,000
8 JUNIOR MASTERCHEF AUSTRALIA TEN 872,000
9 TERRA NOVA TEN 827,000
10 BONES SEVEN 774,000
11 WIDE OPEN ROAD ABC1 774,000
12 THE NO.1 LADIES DETECTIVE AGENCY ABC1 727,000
13 ABC NEWS 694,000
14 PERSON OF INTEREST NINE 670,000
15 MERLIN TEN 624,000

[Ecky]

Who watched it on 9?

How was "Rabbits"?

A mate of mine, Rick, tells me he enjoyed the commentary because they described the game, rather than giving too much personal opinion.

Discuss.

[.X.]

Ecky - it wasnt Rabbits - it was Ray Haddley

I thought he had a good call -tho he spent a bit of time calling the player by number until he had a chance to glance at is Team Sheets.

Also he had a huge man crush for Brand O'Conner and talked him up everytime he got anywhere near the ball.

[jargan83]

I didn't watch the Nine coverage but I was talking to couple of mates at work this morning and they said he had an alright call - actually focused on what was happening instead of giving personal opinions about aspects of the game

[oxleymoron]

I didn't think Hadley was too bad - as mentioned he call players numbers a bit (instead of names). He called the game more like a radio commentator, actually describing what was happening and were the ball was at each ruck (25m out, 12m form left touchline)

[WF1964]

And at times, it did sound a bit like he was calling a horse race.

[shasta]

He called the game more like a radio commentator, actually describing what was happening

That figures. It's what he does for a living every weekend of the NRL season. Along with Blocker, The Big Marn and Bozo - The Continuous Call Team.

[zimeric]

i though he sounded like a racing commentator as well.. talked the hind leg off a ...one trick pony (cooper)