Irish TV viewing figures hotter than July despite repeats

In the absence of any blazing sunshine, or much evidence of the sun’s existence at all, Irish adults aged 15-plus watched television for an average of three hours and 16 minutes each day in July – seven minutes more per day than they did in the same month last year.

The increase in viewing came despite the fact that in July 2014 the business end of the football World Cup in Brazil was taking place and would have lured in viewers, while this summer's schedules have been notably repeats-heavy.

Even 15-24-year-olds were watching more linear television this year than last, although their average viewing time is closer to the two-hour mark.

Summer fall-off

Viewing does drop off in the summer months, the TAM Ireland/

Nielsen

figures show. For example, the average viewing time in January was three hours and 53 minutes, and in the

Six Nations

months of February and March it was three hours and 44 minutes and three hours and 37 minutes respectively.

The most-watched programme so far this year is the first episode of RTÉ One's political drama Charlie, which was broadcast on January 4th and attracted an average of 851,700 viewers – making Haughey the man to beat once again.