The hype of the Lions tour translated to about 1.2 million viewers tuning in to watch the All Blacks overpower the visitors in the first test on Saturday.
But Sky's live coverage failed to break into the top 20 of most viewed programmes since 1991, with viewers split between 648,100 watching Sky's coverage and 580,100 watching TV3's delayed coverage, according to AGB Nielsen Media Research.
The combined numbers topple TV One's Dancing With the Stars as this year's most watched event on television, although the final of the celebrity dance show still has the most viewers for a single non-news programme with 979,600 viewers.
Expectations of viewer numbers for the opening rugby test were high after the combined channels' audiences for the Lions v New Zealand Maori game was just over 800,000.
First test watched by 1.2 million
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