At TV3 in Ballymount, Dublin, there is a new religion and its name is rugby.
The group won the Irish broadcasting rights to the Rugby World Cup 17 months ago and has been counting down the days until kick-off.
TV3’s coverage, broadcast from a fancy-looking set in its HD studio, begins at 6pm on Friday. By the time the William Webb Ellis Cup is presented at Twickenham on October 31st, it hopes to have set a new record for its highest-ever audience.
That record is held by The X Factor final of 2010, which was watched by an average of 930,500 people. It was the year Ireland's Mary Byrne reached the semi-final and a certain boyband came third. Yes, if the Irish team progresses deep into the tournament, they may prove an even bigger ratings draw than One Direction.
“We are certainly hoping that TV3 would reach its highest ever audience,” said Pat Kiely, commercial director of the TV3 Group. The main anchor is Matt Cooper, while panellists include Keith Wood, Matt Williams, Peter Stringer and Hugo Mac Neill. Stuart Barnes, Conor McNamara and Liam Toland are among those on the commentators’ bench.
The 48-match tournament begins modestly, with England v Fiji kicking off at 8pm after the opening ceremony, but on Saturday TV3 is on air for a marathon session from 11am. Some of the early action will shift to sister channel 3e to allow TV3 enough time to build up to the 2.30pm Ireland v Canada game.
“That’s when the whole event will really become a living, breathing thing,” said Mr Kiely. The three subsequent Irish pool games all take place at the more TV-friendly time of Sundays evenings and it is hoped that these will win average ratings in the 600,000-800,000 range, similar to what a Six Nations fixture would get on RTÉ. “Thereafter, we dare to dream,” Mr Kiely said.
On the first day of sales ahead of the tournament, TV3 shifted about €3 million worth of advert time, charging €150,000 a throw for the top-tier advertising packages that give advertisers premium 30-second spots before the whistle and during half-time. It is understood to be targeting €6 million in advert sales, with Land Rover paying €450,000 for an avalanche of sponsorship stings.
Sports rights don’t come cheap. Despite all this commercial activity, the tournament is a loss leader for TV3.
“It is much more about it being a brand-defining event for us,” said Mr Kiely.
For some RTÉ loyalists, TV3's rugby rights will serve as a basic reminder that the channel exists. Fans of The X Factor, meanwhile, should know that ITV, which holds the tournament rights in the UK, has bumped the singing-fest from its Saturday night perch for three weeks. It's a decision that suits TV3, where there is only one song that matters right now: Ireland's Call.
