Ireland-Italy RWC Match Sets TV3 Record With Average Of 956,600 Viewers

The Irish rugby team is "officially more popular than The X Factor," according to Laura Slattery of the IRISH TIMES. Ireland's Rugby World Cup game against Italy on Sunday was the most-watched program ever on TV3, "beating a record held by the 2010 final of the Simon Cowell entertainment show." An average of 956,600 viewers watched Ireland beat Italy on TV3 and secure a place in the quarterfinals, according to the ratings compiled by TAM Ireland and Nielsen. Some 70% of people watching TV on Sunday afternoon were tuned into the Ireland game, which reached 1.375 million people in total. The audience peaked at 1.184 million viewers. Its weekend viewing figures were "also swelled by England's defeat to Australia, which attracted an average audience of 685,800 viewers" (IRISH TIMES, 10/5).