TV viewers watched the start of Team New Zealand's first America's Cup outing in Valencia in force - but numbers dwindled as the race slipped from the Kiwi team's grasp.
More people watched the yachting between 1am and 2am than the first hour of the All Blacks' clashwith South Africa.
But by the end of the matches, the tables had turned. The average audience for the live rugby on Sky was 241,700 people, which peaked at 328,200 in the 15 minutes from 2.30am.
For the yachting, the average audience was 160,400. It was strong early on and peaked at 259,800 in the 15 minutes from 1.45am.
TVNZ spokeswoman Megan Richards said the network was delighted that so many people were watching both events.
"We heard of a lot of fights over the remote."
The regional breakdown from AGB Nielsen Media Research showed that in Auckland, 75,500 people on average watched the All Blacks and just a few less - 66,800 - tuned in to Team New Zealand.
In the south, 34,300 people watched the rugby and 16,700 the sailing.
