RTÉ Media Centre

RTÉ Television topped the tables with sports fans in 2012, with huge audiences tuning in to the biggest sporting events throughout the year on RTÉ.

Figures released today show that 19 of the Top 20 most-watched sports programmes – across all channels – were RTÉ Sport programmes.

The most-watched sports programme of the year on any TV channel was RTÉ Two’s coverage of the Republic of Ireland’s opening match in Euro 2012 with an average of 1,235,700 viewers watching as the boys in green took on Croatia in Poznan. It was the first time since RTÉ’s coverage of the World Cup in 1994 that any sports event on any channel available in Ireland has achieved such a high audience.

Claiming second place was the Republic of Ireland’s Euro 2012 group match against Spain with 1,144,900 viewers watching RTÉ Two for the entire 2½ hours of coverage of the game including pre and post match analysis with Bill O’Herlihy, Eamon Dunphy, John Giles and Liam Brady along with the hugely popular Après Match.

RTE Two’s The Sunday Game Live coverage of All Ireland Senior Football Final (23^rd Sept, Donegal v Mayo) claimed third place with 974,000 viewers.

Joining them in the Top 10 are RTÉ Two’s coverage of the Republic of Ireland’s final group match in Euro 2012 as well as the Euro 2012 final between Spain and Italy, the All Ireland Hurling Final and historic replay (Galway v Kilkenny), London 2012 Olympics coverage featuring Katie Taylor’s Gold medal-winning performance, the RBS 6 Nations match between Wales and Ireland and the All Ireland Hurling Semi-Final (Tipperary v Kilkenny).

The remaining Top 20 sports programmes included RTÉ’s coverage of the All Ireland Football Semi-Final (Mayo v Dublin) and All Ireland Hurling Semi-Final (Galway v Cork) on The Sunday Game Live, Ireland’s RBS 6 Nations Rugby clashes with England, France and Scotland, the Euro 2012 Semi Final between Portugal and Spain and Quarter Final as England clashed with Italy, the Republic of Ireland’s 2014 World Cup Qualifier against the Faroe Islands and the postponed RBS 6 Nations France v Ireland match coverage. The remaining spot in the top 20 sports programmes went to BBC 1’s coverage of the Olympic Closing Ceremony.

See below for a full breakdown of the Top 20.

Ryle Nugent, Group Head of Sport, RTÉ said: “2012 was an unbelievable year for sports coverage and with more choice than ever before available to Irish TV audiences in this highly competitive market we are particularly heartened that the vast majority of viewers choose to watch their sport on RTÉ Television.”

ENDS