SPORT DOMINATED THE list of the top 50 most-watched television programmes over the last year, taking nine of the top 10 places behind The Late Late Toy Show, according to consolidated figures released by industry body TAM Ireland and research company Nielsen.
In a busy year of sport, politics and scandal, the Late Late Toy Show once again topped the list of the most-watched programmes on television in the Irish market in 2024, with Patrick Kielty’s first festive special reaching a final tally of 1,525,800 viewers on RTÉ One alone.
The Late Late Toy Show managed to retain its traditional first-place spot on the list, with the 2024 viewing figure down slightly from an audience of 1,575,800 in 2023.
Only two other entrants on the list garnered over a million viewers, including Ireland’s definitive win over France in the Six Nations in February which amassed a total of audience of 1,077,200.
Overall, commercial TV viewing was up 4%, with viewers spent an average of three hours and 23 minutes watching video content on their TV set every day.
In a busy year of sporting events, rugby dominated the list, with ten games in the top 50 and all of Ireland’s Six Nations game making into the top ten most-viewed programmes.
The All-Ireland Hurling and Football finals also earned top-ten positions (third for hurling final, sixth for football final), with the hotly-contested final between Clare and Cork garnering over a million viewers (1,046,100).
A total of ten Euro 2024 soccer matches made the top 50, along with two Nations League marches, while the Olympics also performed well and had “a very broad appeal,” according to TAM Ireland/Nielsen.
The next-highest non-sporting event on the list was the I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! final (681,500) on Virgin Media One, which beat out the Eurovision Song Contest (674,200).
Two broadcasts of the RTÉ News also featured in the top 20, and were watched by 669,400 and 654,000 people, respectively.
Other notable programmes to make the list include the Prime Time Leaders’ Debate (551,700), which was out-watched by an episode of Dancing with the Stars (558,300), and The Rose of Tralee (543,400).
A number of Irish-produced programmes featured in the top 50 most-viewed list, including an episode of Mrs. Brown’s Boys which amassed an audience of 476,300 viewers in 2024.
An episode of RTÉ’s long-running soap opera Fair City also picked up a spot on the list, garnering an audience of 454,500 for an episode last year.
Cork-based comedy the Young Offenders, which airs across RTÉ and BBC, picked up a lower spot on the top 50 list, with one episode earning 441, 700 in 2024.
Jill McGrath, CEO of TAM Ireland, said that it’s “fantastic to see the place that television holds in the hearts of the nation”.
“As programme choice continues to expand, so too does our appetite for content,” McGrath said.
“The content produced by TV broadcasters continues to drive conversations and shared experiences across the nation, with relevance being at the heart of its appeal.
“It’s no surprise that TV continues to dominate the Irish media landscape and we look forward to another year of fantastic TV content being delivered to the nation across multiple platforms.”
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