TG4 HAS REVEALED that it set an all-time audience record for Sunday’s National Hurling League final between Dublin and Kilkenny.

The official Nielsen television audience for Sunday’s clash at Croke Park saw the audience peak at 430,000 viewers at around full-time, when Dublin confirmed a mammoth 12-point victory to take their first national hurling title since 1939.

At least 310,000 viewers watched the full match on the broadcaster according to Nielsen’s statistics; in a statement, TG4 pointed out that the Nielsen ratings only included domestic dwellings and so did not take into account the numbers watching its broadcast from a pub or club.

At least one in three people watching TV in Ireland on Sunday watched the broadcast, giving the station a share four times higher for any other station and an overall reach of 620,000.

The audience for the hurling clash was significantly higher than the crowd that watched last week’s National Football League final, which drew an average audience of 307,000.

The station’s previous record average viewing audience was for the 2007 Hurling League final, when Waterford took a two-point victory over Kilkenny.

TG4′s director general Pól Ó Gallchóir said the broadcaster was “delighted that we were able to bring Dublin’s wonderful win to such a large television audience.”

Dublin beat Kilkenny to take historic league title >