Astonishing Kellie Harrington TV Figures prompts calls for more boxing on the box
The Irish boxing fraternity have been pointing to the massive amount of people that tuned in to watch Kellie Harrington win Olympic gold on Tuesday night as proof boxing belongs on the box.
A peak audience of 1.371,400 watched the Dubliner make history by winning back-to-back gold medals on RTÉ2 on Tuesday night.
The audience on the channel for the fight itself represented a share of 83% of those watching TV at the time. Indeed, the fight is the third-best viewed program on Irish TV this year behind the Late Late Toy Show and the Rugby World Cup.
They are massive numbers and figures that excited the Irish boxing family to the extent that they have been using it to argue boxing should be on TV more often.
The lack of boxing on terrestrial television has been a bug bearer of those within boxing and something many believe has damaged the growth of the sport.
Boxing and TV were brilliant bedfellows in the Bernard Dunne days with the Dubliner matching Champions League, Six Nations and GAA All Ireland games for viewing figures.
TV3 had a go with Dolphil and Willie Casey as well as a Tommy Egan promoted Jamie Moore topped fight night in the era after, before TG4 ended a pro boxing drought in 2018 when they broadcast Last Man Standing.
All those fight nights were said to have done more than respectable viewing figures, yet still, boxing isn’t a TV regular in Ireland. Indeed, the National Elites finals night isn’t assured of television coverage.
There are suggestions the cost of airing boxing rather than the viewing figures is the issue.
