RT PROVIDES 9 OF the TOP 0 TELEVISION PROGRAMMES OF 0

RT PROVIDES 19 OF THE TOP 20 TELEVISION PROGRAMMES OF 2013 15 January 2014: RT One and RT Two provided the programmes of choice for Irish audiences in 2013 as just-released consolidated figures for the Top 20 programmes of the year show*.

Despite the availability of over 700 channels in Ireland, RT One and RT Two provided 19 of the top 20 most popular programmes of the year.

RT One once again provided unmissable television that brought the nation together. The Late Late Toy Show retained its top spot with an average audience of 1,547,000 viewers making it not only the most popular programme of 2013, but one of the most watched The Late Late Toy Shows ever. RT One's home produced Irish drama Love/Hate provided the second most-watched programme of the year when almost 1,117,000 viewers tuned in to the much anticipated season finale to see Glen shooting Wayne, Fran suffocating Andrew and Tommy collapsing outside a warehouse as Nidge and the gang awaited their drug shipment's arrival.

It was a very good year for Mrs. Brown's Boys, as 1,030,000 viewers tuned in to the season finale in February to watch the wedding preparations for Rory and Dino, making it the third most watched programme of the year while in fifth place the Mrs. Brown's Boys Buckin' Mammy Christmas Special attracted 913,000 viewers.

RT Two's coverage of national games and national teams in action continued to be a winner with Irish audiences, securing five of the Top 20 programmes of the year. In the third spot, 1,064,000 viewers tuned in to see Dublin beat Mayo by one point in The Sunday Game Live All Ireland Senior Football Final. Coverage of the All Ireland Senior Hurling Final (Clare v Cork) was in sixth place with over 889,000 viewers, while the subsequent replay on The Saturday Game Live was at number nineteen with 638,000 viewers. RT Two's coverage of RBS 6 Nations Rugby (Ireland v England) came in at number 11, with over 719,000 viewers tuning in. The World Cup 2014 Qualifier (Ireland v Austria) was in twentieth place with just under 630,000 people watching Ireland draw with Austria.

RT One continues to be the channel of choice for Irish viewers for news with the RT News: Nine O'Clock and RT Six-One News proving to once again be the leading news programmes for Irish audiences. The RT News: Nine O'Clock programme on February 20th was the most popular episode of the year attracting 724,000 viewers and scoring eighth place in the most watched programmes of the year. The bulletin included reports on Barak Obama's inauguration for his second term as US President and Taoiseach Enda Kenny's revelation that he was subjected to personal abuse due to the government's decision to legislate for the X Case. In its twenty-fifth year, the RT Six-One News on March 13th attracted 764,000 viewers placing it in tenth spot overall. Bryan Dobson co-presented the programme from Rome which featured the breaking news of the election of Pope Francis as white smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel live on-air.

Irish audiences loved RT One's big entertainment programmes in 2013 as The Voice of Ireland blind auditions in January attracted nearly 760,000 viewers, putting the show in ninth position. The Late Late Show made a second appearance in the Top 20 as over 685,000 viewers tuned in to hear Fiona Doyle thank everyone for their support in her court case against her own father, making it the fifteenth most watched programme of the year. The Eurovision Song Contest in May came in at seventh place when nearly 810,000 viewers tuned in to see Ireland's Ryan Dolan perform in Malm , Sweden. Almost 670,000 people tuned in to see Texas rose Haley O'Sullivan crowned in The Rose of Tralee final, putting the programme in sixteenth place.

As ever, Operation Transformation proved to be a ratings winner as over 691,000 viewers watched the five leaders strut their stuff on the catwalk for the series six finale, putting the show in twelfth place. Fair City continued to grip the country this year with dramatic storylines and over 691,000 viewers watched an episode in January to see Judith's affair with Luke exposed, giving the show thirteenth place. At Your Service continued to be a ratings winner with January's episode of the Brennan brothers' revamp of the St. Helen's Bay Golf Club in Wexford attracting over 651,000 viewers, earning it eighteenth place. And the season finale of RT drama Raw hit number 14 when nearly 690,000 people tuned in to see Jo Jo's surprise return from Egypt.

Glen Killane, Managing Director, RT Television, said, Despite the availability of over 700 television channels in Ireland, we are delighted to see that the vast majority of Irish viewers continue to choose RT . As Ireland's public service media organisation, we constantly strive to offer our audience distinctive, quality Irish content and provide moments for the nation to come together to celebrate, reflect and share Irish stories relevant to our lives now and providing a lasting narrative for Ireland. We very much appreciate the loyalty and support we continue to receive from the Irish public.

RT Player continues to be the leading TV video-on demand service in Ireland*** extending the reach and value of RT 's investment in quality Irish programming. An additional 263,000 watched the season finale of Love/Hate making it the leading programme on RT Player for 2013. The studio analysis of RT Investigations Unit's cr che documentary was the second most watched on RT Player with Prime Time: A Breach of Trust (studio analysis) attracting 142,000 streams. Audiences around the world enjoyed this year's The Late Late Toy Show with 129,000 streams accessed from viewers across the UK, USA, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Ireland.

LINK:	http://www.rte.ie/about/en/press-office/press-releases/2014/0115/49809...
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