RTE and TV3 say that audiences for their lunchtime and afternoon shows grew by more than 20% in the past year. RTE are quoted as saying that it was “a fair assumption that changes in the number of people at work had influenced the nation’s television habits”.

Recently (February 09) Seoige and The Afternoon Show on RTE recorded their highest daily viewing figures, with an average audience of 186,000 watching both shows. The average number of viewers for The Afternoon Show, a magazine programme on RTE, jumped by 24,000 to 114,000 for the period from October to December 2008 compared with the previous year.

More people are also watching TV3. Some 70,000 people are now watching Midday every day, 14% more than watched the station at the same time last year. Xposé on TV3 is also attracting a record audience of about 50,000 people.