State of Origin TV ratings: How fans reacted to Sunday night clash
The Blues were the big winners on the field but how did State of Origin play out in TV land? The ratings are in for Game Two.
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Well that is settled then. Mid-season State of Origin is all but certain to continue after a disastrous hit out last year when Covid forced the series to be pushed back to the end of the year.
Some 1.87 million Australians across the five city metro markets tuned in to watch the NSW Blues smash Queensland Maroons 26-0 at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.
Nationally, including regional viewing figures, 2.7 million people watched the game, representing a more than 10 per cent increase on last year’s national figure of 2.44 million for the second game of the series.
The audience number peaked at 3.1 million viewers nationally last night.
It is a return to form after a shocking series in 2020, when, due to the global pandemic, the annual State of Origin blockbuster was held in November instead of being played in the middle of the NRL season.
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The first game of the 2020 series came in at 1.6 million viewers across metro markets, representing a 17-year ratings low.
At the time, with viewing numbers down dramatically, ARLC Chairman Peter V’landys signalled Origin would return to mid-season in 2021.
“More likely than not that this (State of Origin series) will be the one and only time (in November) because the ratings weren’t very good last week,” V’landys said.
“Next year is a different story and if we’re able to have crowds, mid-season is probably the right place but let’s just see what happens tomorrow night.”
Viewers however rewarded the NRL by tuning in to the first round of State of Origin 2021.
Around 1.91 million Australians across the five city metro markets tuned in for game two, with 2.7 million nationally.
Looking back at the 20-year history of Origin, last night’s figure was the second lowest rating game two behind 2020.
That said, with overall viewing numbers down, it is a strong result. In 2019, game two drew a five city metro audience of 1.96 million.
Some believe hosting the game on a Sunday night, as opposed to traditional Wednesday games, impacted viewing numbers. Organisers have indicated a return to Wednesday night Origin in 2022.
Looking at game two figures more closely, Sydney viewers were up at 972,000 while 544,000 people watched in Brisbane.
Melbourne viewers were down dramatically at 149,000 viewers.
Live broadcast video on demand, meaning people watching through NineNow, was up 48 per cent year on year to 228,000 viewers.
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