TV audience for Grand Final tops 3m

More than 3.1million viewers across Metropolitan and Regional Australia tuned in to watch the St George Illawarra Dragons defeat the Sydney Roosters 32-8 in the 2010 NRL Telstra Premiership Grand Final at a packed ANZ Stadium yesterday.<br>&nbsp;<br>Across the five capital cities, 2.091million viewers (2009: 2.416m) watched St George Illawarra claim their first Premiership title as a merged club, with a peak audience of 2.453million across the Nine Network.<br>&nbsp;<br>In Regional Australia, WIN and NBN attracted an average of 1.108 million (2009: 1.122m) viewers and a peak audience of 1.395million.<br>&nbsp;<br>In Sydney, where 82,334 Rugby League fans packed ANZ Stadium, an average of 1.127million viewers tuned into the game (2009: 1.119m) which drew a 79.0% audience share across the free to air networks. The Sydney audience peaked at 1.240million.<br>&nbsp;<br>In Brisbane, an average of 635,000 fans watched the game, up 18.7% on 2009 (534,885), gaining Brisbane a 78.9% audience share. The Brisbane audience peaked at 742,000.<br>&nbsp;<br>In Perth, the number of fans watching the game also increased on last year, up 16.0% to 75,000 viewers (2009: 64,657).<br>&nbsp;<br>“The 2010 NRL Telstra Premiership Grand Final was a fantastic end to a record breaking season,” NRL Chief Executive, Mr David Gallop, said today.<br>&nbsp;<br>“It was a great example of the speed, skill and toughness of Rugby League that our fans enjoy each year.<br>&nbsp;<br>“Even in wet conditions the game drew a sell-out crowd and a live television audience of more than three million viewers who shared all the anticipation and excitement of a Grand Final.<br>&nbsp;<br>“Congratulations to St George Illawarra on winning their first Premiership as a merged club and to the Roosters for a tremendous return in 2010.”<br>&nbsp;<br><br>