Nine’s NRL coverage of the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs upsetting “premiership favourites” the Penrith Panthers pulled in over 1.4 million viewers.
A total TV national average audience of 699,000 were stunned as the 9th placed Bulldogs smashed the previously undefeated premiers by 16 points. Coming into this match the Bulldogs looked low on confidence after the team had lost its previous two games. On the other paw, the Panthers walked into the encounter with five straight wins behind them.
But, the form guide was completely thrown out of the window as the Bulldogs piled on five tries to clinch the clubs third win of the season.
The emphatic nature of the victory caught even seasoned observers off guard, prompting a strong reaction in the commentary box.
“That’s a famous night for the Dogs. They haven’t just beaten the premiership favourites, they’ve thumped them,” said commentator Dan Ginnane on Fox League’s broadcast.
The game also marked the return of strike centre Bronson Xerri, who was re-called back into the team after Bulldog’s captain Stephen Crichton was ruled out due to a shoulder injury.
Taking the top spot of the most watched entertainment program of the evening however, was Seven with the AFL. In the match the Adelaide Crows opened up gather round—a festival of footy where all games take place in South Australia—with a strong win over the Blues. A total TV national reach of 2,005,000 and an average audience of 667,000 helped Seven clinch the third overall spot on the ratings—edging out the NRL in fourth.
Turning our attention away from sport, Gogglebox was Network 10’s most popular entertainment program. 864,000 viewers watched other people tune into the best and worst television shows they’ve watched over the past week.
