Pope beats Charles in TV ratings

New Zealand viewers turned out in force to watch the funeral of Pope John Paul II, but enthusiasm for the midnight wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla was more subdued.

The Pope's funeral, broadcast live on TV One on Friday night, was watched by more than 400,000 people, according to AGB Nielsen Media research ratings.

TVNZ spokeswoman Michele Camilleri said the ratings were strong, especially among older people.

"I think that reflects the historical significance of the event."

The timing of the nuptials of Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, was all wrong for a New Zealand audience.

Just 31,600 tuned in to watch the BBC World News wedding coverage on TV1, from midnight on Saturday night.

The replay of the coverage on a One News Royal Wedding Special at 10am Sunday was watched by 166,700 people.

Around 500 million people watched the wedding worldwide, with an average of 6.2 million tuning into BBC1's coverage in the UK. The viewing figures peaked at 7.6 million for the blessing ceremony.

But the wedding was outshone by the major sporting event of the day - the BBC said its coverage of the Grand National steeplechase, which was pushed back 25 minutes to avoid a TV coverage clash, drew 9.5 million viewers.

Prince Charles' first wedding to Diana attracted a global television audience of 700 million.