It was a tight race last night with the NRL finals nipping at the heels of The Block’s ratings dominance.
With a total TV national reach of 2,804,000 and a national average of 1,597,000, The Block pulled ahead to win the night among the non-news programs. But the program’s usual safe margin was encroached upon by the NRL as the second preliminary final got underway.
With a huge match-up between the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs and the Penrith Panthers, each playing for a spot to fight for a place in the Grand Final, all eyes were fixed on the game. The Bulldogs fought a tough battle, but ultimately, the four straight premiership winners came out ahead with an absolute masterclass and a final score of 46-26 that proved their run at a fifth bite of the premiership cherry is far from over.
The game hit a national average viewership of 1,174,000 and a total TV national reach of 2,295,000 – an impressive stat for a game that was broadcast across Foxtel and Kayo as well as the free-to-air network.
With two more major match-ups scheduled for this weekend between Melbourne Storm & Cronulla Sharks and the Brisbane Broncos & Panthers, Nine can likely expect another massive weekend of sport dominance ahead.
Over the weekend, it was much of the same with the other NRL match-up between minor premiers Canberra Raiders and Cronulla Sharks ending in a complete upset for Raiders fans but an impressive result for the Nine Network.
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