Record tv audience for TG4 Ladies Football Final 2003

Record tv audience for TG4 Ladies Football Final 2003

Viewing figures for yesterday’s live broadcast of
the TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Senior Football Final, (5 October
2003), show that the coverage achieved the highest ever audience
for a TG4 programme.

The average audience for the duration of the Senior Final
(Mayo v Dublin) was 187,000, representing 21% of all people
watching television in the Republic at that time. The Junior
Final (Donegal v Kildare) was watched by 98,000 (13% share).
In all, over 564,000 people tuned into the TG4 coverage of
the All-Ireland Ladies Football Finals on Sunday afternoon.
(Source: Nielsen Media Research, the official measure for
tv audience in Ireland).

Commenting on the figures, TG4 Ceannasaí, Pól Ó Gallchóir,
said that he was delighted at this latest confirmation of
the continuing growth of TG4 audience. “Coming at the end
of the full week of our new Autumn 2003 schedule, these audience
figures are very welcome and represent the most tangible measure
of success for us,” he said. “It is particularly heartening
that for the third year in a row, the record for the highest-rated
TG4 programme ever has been achieved (and then surpassed)
by our coverage of the All-Ireland Ladies Football Final,
a live broadcast of an indigenous Irish sport, produced for
the channel by a Gaeltacht-based production company”.

An Ceannasaí added that it was also noteworthy that yesterday’s
Finals attracted a huge attendance of over 30,000 people at
Croke Park, and that TG4’s innovative webcasting of the event
had made the coverage available worldwide and had attracted
viewers in North America, Europe and Australia. He also pointed
out that TG4 has a dual reason for celebration from these
viewing figures. “Our twin relationship with Cumann Peil Gael
na mBan – as competition sponsor and broadcaster – is now
a real partnership that is producing significant mutual benefits,”
he said.

Helen O’Rourke, Ard-Stiúrthóir, Cumann Peil na mBan said that
she was very happy with the television viewing figures and
with the record attendance at Croke Park for the All-Ireland
Finals. ‘Ní neart go cur le chéile’ she said “and we look
forward to developing the partnership with TG4 over the coming
years”.