Numbers emerging from TV3 show the full depth of the success of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night at the O2.
A television audience of over 600,000 with a peak of 340,200 is the highest rated sporting event ever shown on 3e.
That along with the fact that the event sold out in only 40 seconds when tickets went on sale shows the depth of demand for the cage fighting craze.
The peak figure was higher than the average viewership achieved by RTE Sport over the course of the 56 matches shown live from the World Cup, and represented a 43.33 per cent share for adults aged 15-24.
Conor McGregor was top of the bill on a night when no fewer than five Irish fighters won their bouts sending the arena into the kind of noisy delight normally reserved for the big darts nights.
“Saturday night’s fantastic UFC ratings prove that there is a real hunger for MMA in Ireland,” said Jeff Ford, TV3 group director of content.
“3e was the first broadcaster to take the plunge and broadcast UFC Live and Free to Air and the feedback from our viewers has been great.”
“This was a night that will go down in history within the UFC for the record sell out and viewership figures,” added Garry Cook, VP and GM for UFC in the EMEA Region.
“The collaboration between UFC and TV3, not just on the night, but in the weeks and days leading to the event has shown how an integrated partnership can benefit both organisations.”
“Throughout the week, TV3 and 3e aired amazing content and were able to access the athletes across a number of platforms, building anticipation and ultimately driving the record breaking audience.”
UFC Chief Executive Dana White was positive about a return to Ireland, though uncertain about where. “Yeah, definitely. The problem is the arena is so small and, like (McGregor) says, we could do a bigger arena, but I’m not too confident in your weather and an outdoor stadium. This isn’t Abu Dhabi. I love it here and the fans love it here.”
