CONOR MCGREGOR’S VICTORY over Diego Brandao was watched by 600,000 people on 3e, the channel has announced.
The free-to-air channel, which is part of the TV3 group, bought broadcast rights for last Saturday night’s UFC Dublin event meaning those who aren’t subscribers to BT Sport could also tune in for the main card.
Dublin featherweight won his bout in impressive style with a first round TKO of Brandao and 3e recorded a total of 600,000 viewers and a peak audience figure of 340,200.
The sold-out event also had had an average of 257,500 (21% share of the available audience) viewers — making it the highest rating sporting event ever on the channel.
Jeff Ford, TV3 Group Director of Content, said: “Saturday night’s fantastic UFC ratings prove that there is a real hunger for MMA in Ireland, in particular Ireland’s own star attraction and showman Conor McGregor.
“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.
We would like to thank our friends and colleagues from the Ultimate Fighting Championship for their support and help and we look forward to continuing our relationship with them in the future.”
Garry Cook, VP and GM UFC EMEA added: “This was a night that will go down in history within the UFC for the record sell out and viewership figures.
“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.
“We would like to congratulate our friends at TV3 and we look forward to bringing more UFC events in the future.”
The event is available until this Saturday on the 3player.