State of Origin TV viewing figures SLUMP as 238,000 fewer fans tune in for Game One after stars were slammed for their ‘boring’ build up to blockbuster clash in Sydney – but Channel 9 claim figures are the best this year
- 2.48million people tuned into watch Game One of this year’s State of Origin
- That figure represents a 238,000 drop in viewers compared to last year’s game
- Since 2019, Channel 9’s viewing figures for the big game have declined by 700k
- Origin stars were slammed for their ‘boring’ build up to the blockbuster clash
- Viewers were also unimpressed by Ray Warren’s successor in the comms booth
Channel 9 suffered a TV ratings shocker on Wednesday night, with over 200,000 fewer viewers tuning in for Queensland‘s win over NSW – although the broadcast giant claim the latest figures represent success.
News Corp reports that 2.48million TV viewers tuned in as Queensland held on for a dramatic victory at Accor Stadium, with New South Wales‘s Isaah Yeo falling just short of salvaging the game at the last.
That represents a 238,000 climbdown from the 2.718m that saw the Blues thump their neighbours by 44 points in Game One of the 2021 series, and a mammoth 700,000-figure drop from 2019.
Channel 9 saw a slump in its TV ratings for last night’s State of Origin Game One blockbuster
Yet there is some dispute as to whether last night’s figures represent success or failure for the broadcaster, who claim that over 2.9m tuned in for the big game when streaming figures are taken into account.
That would suggest Origin I was the highest-rating program of the year so far, despite the sizeable drop in television figures alone when compared to 2021.
The appeal of rugby league’s biggest rivalry has been called into question and the latest figures certainly support NRL360’s Paul Kent’s claim that Origin stars have contributed a ‘boring’ build up to the opening game.
2.48m people tuned in on television as Queensland held on for a dramatic victory in Sydney
That represents a 238k drop from 2021, although Nine claim when streaming figures are taken into account last night’s program was the best viewed of the year
He pointed to the success of Kambosos Jr v Haney to urge the players to follow the blueprint set out by the Australian boxer to inject bad blood back into the contest.
‘We need to get the tameness out of Origin,’ he said. ‘The players are now so disciplined, so desperate not to cause any motivation to the opposition that we get the most boring lead ups.
‘It [Origin] was built on the back of these wildcats from Queensland coming in with a pure hatred for New South Wales where whatever they said about NSW they didn’t give a rat’s arse whether the Blues cared about it or not and they went after NSW and they set up the whole Origin mystique on the back of that.
‘Now, you get the impression that if they ran into each other in a restaurant, they would all walk over and say G’day to each other and sit down and share a meal. It has got to change, it has got to get back to the wild days were something actually interesting comes out.’
Last night’s clash was also broadcast for the first time in 30 years without the dulcet tones of iconic commentator Ray Warren.
‘Rabs’ was behind the microphone for a whopping 99 Origin matches and Channel 9 chiefs turned to Mat Thompson as his replacement, although the 40-year-old’s performance divided viewers at home.