As Ireland got their Six Nations campaign off to a winning start against Wales on Saturday, there was further joy for TV bosses as it was revealed that the game attracted a peak audience of 841,000 viewers.
The game had an average of 729,000 viewers as it unfolded, translating to a 66% share of those watching TV at the time.
Additionally, 96,000 viewed the game via the RTÉ Player.
This was followed in equally impressive fashion on Saturday evening by Kerry and Dublin Allianz League showdown in Tralee which attracted an audience of 494,000 viewers at its peak. The Round Two fixture, won by the Kingdom, maintained an average of 444,000 viewers which represented an audience share of 35%. A further 27,000 streamed the game on the RTÉ Player.
After Ireland's rousing win on Saturday, fans' attentions were quickly fixated on France's opening fixture against Italy the following day.
Numbers peaked at 273,000 and an average of 240,000 viewers was maintained, while there were 23,000 streams on the RTÉ Player.
Elsewhere, the Dublin Racing Festival from Leopardstown on Saturday on RTÉ One had an average audience of 83,000 with a share of 9% while Sunday's Leopardstown racing on the same channel averaged 108,000 with a 14% share.
RTÉ's Group Head of Sport Declan McBennett was delighted with the intake of sport across the weekend.
He said "Across rugby, GAA and racing the desire for free-to-air sport is clear for all to see. Events like those from the weekend allow people to enjoy sport as a collective and witness those who are wearing their jerseys and silks with pride and providing enjoyment for some and inspiration for others."
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