419,000 tune in to World Cup final match

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A record number of Kiwis tuned in to watch the final of the football World Cup this week.

More than 419,000 people watched the match between Germany and Argentina on Monday morning on TV One and TV One Plus 1. That was 42,000 more viewers than tuned in to watch the last football World Cup final, in 2010.

The figures were released yesterday by the Nielsen Television Audience Measurement service.

TVNZ general manager for programming John Kelly said the final match also drew in a huge following via online streaming.

More than 100,000 viewers tuned in via OnDemand.

"We are thrilled with the number of New Zealanders we reached with our coverage on both platforms and about the quality of programme the team offered."

Although the final - in which Germany beat Argentina 1-0 with a goal in extra time - reeled in more viewers compared to the last tournament's final, the number of viewers was dwarfed by those who had watched other great sporting finals in the last few years.

In 2011, the Rugby World Cup final between the All Blacks and France attracted almost 600,000 viewers to Sky Sport 1, Nielsen figures show, while a gripping America's Cup clash last September was watched by more than a million TV One viewers.

Monday's football World Cup final was the most watched game of the Brazilian tournament.

The next most-watched match on free-to-air was the semifinal between Argentina and the Netherlands which attracted 344,700 viewers.

A total of 298,800 viewers tuned in for the England-versus-Italy match, while 283,700 people saw the semifinal match between Brazil and Germany which Germany won 7-1.