RT Delivers 44 of the Top 50 Most Watched TV Programmes in Ireland in 2022 as Irish Content Beats International Competition
RT Player has record breaking 2022 with 83.3 million streams
RT Sport, Entertainment, News & Current Affairs, Drama, Factual programmes and documentaries among most watched
In 2022, Irish audiences continued to choose Irish content above international fare as the viewing figures for 2022 released by TAM Ireland/Nielsen Media demonstrate.
49 of the Top 50 most watched TV programmes by Irish audiences were home-produced. 1
RT provided 44 of the 50 most watched TV programmes in 20221, as audiences engaged with live sport, entertainment, trusted news, gripping factual programmes, Irish documentaries and local drama.
Even with the increased availability of international streaming services, TAM Ireland research shows that the average Irish adult in a TV home watches 2 hours 35 mins of broadcaster content on a TV set every day, 85% of which is live and 15% watched as catch up.2
Looking at total viewing across all devices, 70% of the Irish audiences daily viewing is of broadcaster content, 11% with streaming services such as Netflix etc. and 19% with video sharing platforms such as YouTube and Tik-Tok.3
RT 's mix of live and on-demand services have both proven hugely popular this year. RT Player served a record breaking 83.3 million streams in 20224 with a mix of sport, Irish and international drama, news, entertainment and factual programmes.
The Late Late Toy Show retained pole position at the top of the Irish TV viewing chart with over 1.5 million viewers enjoying the quintessentially live and Irish collective viewing experience.
2022 saw Irish viewers enthralled with national and international sport with nine of the top ten most watched programmes all free-to-air sport. The All-Ireland Senior Football Final (872,000) was the second most watched programme overall. RT 's GAA Championship coverage saw our national games net 8 of the top 50 programmes, while The Saturday/Sunday Game Live attracted over 1.6 million streams on RT Player during the year.
RT Sport's coverage of FIFA World Cup 2022 scored hugely with Irish fans with over 8.2 million streams of the tournament on RT Player and 13 of the Top 50 most watched TV programmes of the year on TV. Argentina V Croatia (784,000) and Argentina v France (783,700) on RT 2 scored 5th and 6th place respectively on the most watched TV programmes table.
Irish audiences continued to love Irish local drama in 2022 with Fair City (482, 700) and Clare-based Smother (425,000) being the only drama to make the Top 50 most watched TV programmes. RT Player saw audiences engage with a mix of the best of Irish and international drama, with drama programmes delivering 13 of the Top 25 most streamed programmes on the service.
2022 also saw Irish audiences come together for feelgood entertainment and heart-warming Irish stories with The Late Late Show (Jan 14, 567,000), NYE Countdown with Westlife (557,000), Dancing With The Stars (Jan 9, 544,000), Rose of Tralee (516,000), The Tommy Tiernan Show (Jan 8, 499,000), Ireland's Fittest Family (Nov 11, 447,000), DIY SOS (Apr 3, 450,000), Reeling in the Years (Jan 4, 447,000) and Operation Transformation (Jan 26, 440,000) all scoring a place in the Top 50 most watched TV programmes.
Unique Irish stories captured Irish audiences' attention with RT programmes Quinn Country (29 November, 480,000), Crime and Confessions (Jan 24, 465,000) and RT Investigates (Feb 14, 499,000) all making the most watched TV programmes of 2022.
The public continued to choose RT for trusted News & Current Affairs in 2022 with the most watched news programme of the year on any channel being the RT Six One News on January 21 with 655,000 viewers watching, as the Taoiseach announced the end of Covid restrictions from the following day. The RT Nine O'Clock News on February 27 had 593,000 viewers as President Putin ordered Russian nuclear forces to be on alert on day four of the invasion of Ukraine. The two evening bulletins collectively also generated almost 4 million streams on the RT Player throughout the year.
RT Director of Content, Jim Jennings said, RT exists to serve Irish audiences and it's heartening to see that Irish audiences chose Irish content above all else and that RT 's content continues to score so highly. The audience is always top of mind for us when commissioning and creating programming whether that be sport, drama, documentaries or factual programming. We thank our partners in sport and in the independent production sector for working with us as we look forward to continuing to deliver a unique mix of Irish content in 2023 .
Notes to Editors:
1. Source: TAM Ireland/Nielsen- Top 50 Programmes 2022
Based on Individuals 4+, All Subscribing Channels, Averaging Option: Any Day, Any Time, Best Episode, Minimum Duration 10 Minutes. Please note: This list uses best episode of a series.
(ie. Top 50 Most Watched Programmes is based on best performing episode of programme or series ie. Each programme is only included once and the rating only refers to this single episode.
2. Source: TAM Ireland/Nielsen, Adults 15+, Total TV, Avg. Mins per person, consolidated, all day, 2022.
3. Source: TAM Ireland/Nielsen Total Video Panel - Jan - Oct 2022
4. Source: AT Internet
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
16/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/07/2026
Zixi, a leader in live video delivery and workflow orchestration, and Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) today announced a strategic new integration to deliver ...
16/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Capture Immersive Flight for New Cirrus App
Brie Clayton July 15, 2026
0 Comments
Leader in Personal Aviation taps URSA Cin...
16/07/2026
XenData Announces LTO Archive Appliances with both File and S3 Object Storage In...
15/07/2026
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is a big deal for DAZN, which has distribution rights in three markets: Italy, Spain, and Japan. Each requires a different editorial app...
15/07/2026
As sports-media organizations manage rapidly growing content libraries and incre...
15/07/2026
HBS director of digital Johannes Franken talks SVG Europe through the operation built to serve FIFA World Cup 2026 rights holders remotely from Stratford, east ...
15/07/2026
IBC has unveiled the conference program for IBC2026, with this year's event ...
15/07/2026
Software-defined wideband RF platform supports 96-kHz monitoring, streamlined fr...
15/07/2026
New AI-powered module enables broadcasters and content owners to extract dialogu...
15/07/2026
Weeklong gathering at EBU headquarters will test new IPMX capabilities and expand certified product ecosystem...
15/07/2026
Force Tech has announced the appointment of Bryan Adams, CTS, as Vice President of Integration. Adams will oversee AV and broadcast integration project delivery...
15/07/2026
USA Sports has announced an exclusive English-language agreement with the Bundes...
15/07/2026
ITV Sport's FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage has been produced from one of the m...
15/07/2026
Program will provide professional camera kits, training, and technical support to participating local newsrooms...
15/07/2026
San Francisco church becomes first U.S. deployment of the 2 M/E production switcher...
15/07/2026
Former ESPN and NFL Network executive to advise startup league on media, distribution, technology, and fan engagement...
15/07/2026
The Houston-based RSN is the live-game home of the Astros and Rockets...
15/07/2026
Launched alongside new FreqSoft installer
Designed to bridge the gap between hardware and software, Freqport's FreqInOut FO1 unit provides a simple way ...
15/07/2026
Save up to 55% on software until 23 July 2026
Expressive E have just launched their Summer Offer sale, with discounts of up to 55% now applied across their ...
15/07/2026
Real-time stem-separation tool updated
zplane have recently released a new and improved version of their real-time stem-separation plug-in which they say ma...
15/07/2026
A new benchmark in bass enhancement
Described as a new benchmark in bass enhancement , Baby Audio's latest release has been designed to augment the lo...
15/07/2026
DMC Production's AR 1 and AR 2 units reverse the conventional OB workflow, keeping all production-critical processing at the venue while operators work remo...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
GigaCloud, a leading Ukrainian cloud service provider, and Cubbit, the first geo-distributed cloud storage enabler, today announced a new Business Alliance Part...
15/07/2026
SMPTE, the global society for media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has announced the launch of the SMPTE 110th Anniversary Campaign, a fundraising...
15/07/2026
Studio Technologies, a leading manufacturer of high-quality audio, video, and fiber-optic solutions, unveils the new StudioComm Model 762 Stereo Level Control, ...
15/07/2026
COW Jobs: Producer, Virtual Events - Hybrid, Full Time, Salaried
Brie Clayton July 15, 2026
0 Comments
Producer, Virtual Events (Hybrid | Full-time | ...
15/07/2026
Brazilian media organization builds nationwide CDN with Broadpeak's high-performance software for low-latency streaming and new content distribution service...
15/07/2026
DHD announces a new utility designed to increase the efficiency of its audio mixing systems during initial installation and subsequent configuration.
Anyone w...
15/07/2026
BCNEXXT Brings Next-Generation Vipe to IBC2026, Breaking the 1:1 Channel-to-Server Ratio New innovations liberate broadcasters from legacy playout infrastructur...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
General-purpose robots and autonomous machines are moving from research labs to ...
15/07/2026
Wednesday 15 July 2026
Screeners and press pack now available: Gomorrah: The Or...
15/07/2026
Trinity's Treasures features Ruth Negga, Eleanor McEvoy, and David Norris, a...
15/07/2026
Join geographer Dr Susan Hegarty, Engineer Tim Joyce and Architect Orla Murphy a...
15/07/2026
Home to leading manufacturers, robotics pioneers, infrastructure builders and iconic gaming companies, of course, Japan is one of the world's centers of AI ...
14/07/2026
South end zone videoboard, cloud-based control system will be ready for 2026 football season...
14/07/2026
Redesigned website, enhanced mobile app unify content, ticketing, and personalized fan engagement...
RT Delivers 44 of the Top 50 Most Watched TV Programmes in Ireland in 2022 as Irish Content Beats International Competition
