Sunday's All Ireland Hurling Championship final at Croke Park between Limerick and Kilkenny was watched by over one million viewers, comfirms the state broadcaster
On RTÉ2, the clash was watched by 830,000 viewers watched the game, and an additional 9,000 viewers followed the action on RTÉ2+1. The RTÉ2 broadcast dominated the television landscape at the time, capturing an impressive 71% share of the viewership.
The peak of the TV coverage was at 4.46 pm when an impressive 936,000 people were engrossed in the game. Overall, the match reached a staggering 1,125,000 viewers, showcasing its immense popularity.
The digital audience was equally enthusiastic, with 193,000 streams on RTÉ Player, a significant increase from last year's decider which had 109,000 streams. Additionally, the 830,000 average viewership on RTÉ2 marked the highest audience for a hurling match since 2019.
Over one million people watched @RTEsport yesterday as Limerick made history. Average tv audience 830k , peak 936. Audience on @RTEplayer 193k with more on @RTERadio1 and online. A game deserving of a mass audience pic.twitter.com/6KXCm6wtpw
— Declan McBennettRTE (@RTEmcbennettd) July 24, 2023
The match was particularly appealing to the younger audience, as a remarkable 77% of adults aged 15-34 who were watching TV at the time were glued to RTÉ2's live coverage.
The excitement didn't end with the live broadcast. Last night's highlights and review of the hurling year on The Sunday Game drew an average audience of 177,000, with a share of 21%, demonstrating the enduring appeal of the sport.
"Kilkenny's first-half intensity and Limerick's second-half display of power and skill was testimony to the high standards that we now take for granted," said RTÉ Group Head of Sport Declan McBennett
"For over a million people to enjoy the spectacle, as well as those in attendance and those listening on radio, is a fitting climax to the inter-county hurling season."
This weekend will see the All-Ireland Football final between Kerry and Dublin take place. That kicks-off at 3.30pm
