KEY POINTS:
New Zealand's first Olympics track and field champion for 32 years, Valerie Vili, outmuscled the All Blacks in gaining the attention of most armchair sports fans early on Sunday morning (NZ time).
Television viewing figures released by AGB Nielsen today show TV One's Beijing Olympic coverage from midnight averaging 255,000 viewers or 50 per cent of all people viewing at the time, while an average 134,000 viewers (28 per cent) were tuned into the rugby test after it started at 1am.
AGB Nielsen records viewing figures for all people aged over five, in 15-minute periods.
While plenty of channel hopping was going on, at no time did the viewing figures for the All Blacks exceed those of Vili whose shot put final started 10 minutes after the rugby test kicked off.
TV One's audience for Vili peaked at 305,000 - 67 per cent of TV watchers at the time - until her 20.56m throw was finally confirmed as the winner.
When that happened Sky Sport 1's audience shot up from 62,000 first to 130,000 and then 148,000 (37 per cent of all viewers at that time) stayed up to watch the All Blacks round off their 19-0 whitewashing of the Springboks.
- NZPA
