RTÉ

 CHRISTMAS RATINGS RELEASED

RTÉ One and RTÉ Two were the number 1 and 2 channels this Christmas

 RTÉ One and RTÉ Two were the number 1 and 2 channels respectively for Irish viewers on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. On average, RTÉ One, RTÉ One+1 and RTÉ Two cumulatively accounted for 30% of all viewing on both days.

Christmas Eve Highlights

The two RTÉ One evening news bulletins attracted the highest audiences on Christmas Eve. RTÉ News Six One was the most popular programme of the day with just over half a million viewers, while RTÉ News: Nine O’clock was watched by an average of 447,600 people.

Fair City was in third place with an average audience of 441,100 viewers and Irish Pictorial Weekly in fourth place, watched by an average of 369,000 viewers. Eastenders on RTÉ One was the fifth most popular programme of the day, attracting an average of 363,200 viewers. Carols from Dublin Castle got many people into the festive spirit on RTÉ One, attracting just over 340,000 viewers, making it the sixth most popular programme.

Overall, the top 10 programmes on Christmas Eve were all on RTÉ Television.

Top Programmes, Christmas Eve 2013, Individuals 4+, Live + VOSDAL
Rank Programme Channel Time 000s Share
1 RTE News: Six One RTÉ One 18:00 – 18:10 506.4 41.26
2 RTE News: Nine O’Clock RTÉ One 21:17 – 21:26 447.6 28.10
3 Fair City RTÉ One 20:48 – 21:14 441.1 27.60
4 Irish Pictorial Weekly RTÉ One 21:33 – 21:59 369.0 23.67
5 Eastenders RTÉ One 20:13 – 20:45 363.2 23.17
6 Carols From Dublin Castle RTÉ One 18:17 – 19:12 341.6 25.50
7 Father Ted Christmas Special RTÉ Two 23:02 – 24:04 338.6 25.89
8 The Mario Rosenstock Christmas Special RTÉ Two 22:01 – 22:57 302.4 19.56
9 The Zoo Christmas Special RTÉ One 19:15 – 20:09 301.4 20.07
10 For One Night Only… Phil Coulter RTÉ One 22:03 – 23:09 233.0 15.22

The biggest movie of the day, with an average audience of 210,400 viewers, was the Christmas Eve matinee on RTÉ One, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

On Christmas Eve, RTÉ Two was the Number 1 Channel for Adults 15-34 with an average share of 13.7% across the day, rising to 16.4% during peak-time (6:00 – 11:29pm). The two highest-rating programmes of the day across all channels for Adults 15-34 were both on RTÉ Two. With an average share of 33%, The Father Ted Christmas Special at 11pm was the most-watched programme on Christmas Eve by Adults 15-34 across all channels, followed by The Mario Rosenstock Christmas Special at 10pm in 2nd place. RTÉ Two also featured the highest-rating movie of the day for Adults aged 15-34 with Spiderman 3 taking the top movie spot on the day for this particular audience.*


Christmas Day Highlights

For the third year running, Mrs Brown’s Boys was the top-rated programme across all Irish channels on Christmas Day. This year’s programme Buckin’ Mammy was watched by an average audience of 832,000 viewers, representing a 44% share of viewing at the time. Overall, eight of the ten most-watched programmes across all channels on Christmas Day were on RTÉ Television. The second spot after Mrs Brown’s Boys went to the network premiere of Bridesmaids on RTÉ One at 10.05pm, with an average of 455,700 people watching the movie.

Below are the Top 10 Programmes across all Channels for Christmas Day:

Top Programmes, Christmas Day 2013, Individuals 4+, Live + VOSDAL
Rank Programme Channel Time 000s Share
1 Mrs Brown’s Boys – Buckin’ Mammy RTÉ One 21:26 – 21:59 832.0 43.69
2 Bridesmaids RTÉ One 22:05 – 24:00 455.7 28.77
3 Fair City RTÉ One 18:22 – 19:15 448.9 28.42
4 Coronation Street TV3 19:59 – 20:56 375.2 20.94
5 EastEnders RTÉ One 20:27 – 21:24 358.6 19.38
6 Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Part 1 RTÉ One 18:01 – 18:13 278.4 22.79
7 Shrek Forever After RTÉ One 14:37 – 15:56 276.6 28.24
8 RTE News: Nine O’Clock RTÉ One 20:16 – 20:23 241.4 13.60
9 Zig & Zag’s Super Festive Bloopers RTÉ One 19:21 – 20:13 232.5 14.53
10 Emmerdale TV3 18:15 – 19:13 216.2 13.75

For kids, their top movie choice on the day was Shrek Forever After which ran in the afternoon on RTÉ One. The movie achieved an average share of viewing of 37% among children aged 4-14.

ENDS

Date: 27th December 2013

For more information please contact: Karen Fitzpatrick, Communications Manager, RTÉ Television, T: 01 208 2667, E: karen.fitzpatrick@rte.ie, M: 086 814 9290

Source:

TAM Ireland Ltd / Nielsen TAM / All figures based on Live + VOSDAL

 All figures quoted refer to the average viewership for Individuals 4+ / National / Live + VOSDAL

*Data refers to Adults aged 15-34