By REBECCA BARRY
In the end it was brawn over brains as New Zealanders tuned in en masse to the year's top-rating television events, the Rugby World Cup and America's Cup proving more popular than the nation's first televised IQ test, Test the Nation.
The All Blacks-South Africa game on TV
One was the most-watched broadcast this year, with more than 45 per cent of New Zealanders aged over five, 1.64 million viewers, tuning in at some point of the game and averaging 1.3 million. The America's Cup final captured 1.2 million.
But it was Britain's longest-running soap that eclipsed viewing of the World Cup final, with 985,000 tuning in to see Coronation Street's murder episode, 77,000 more than watched the England versus Australia game.
Test the Nation, which attracted 1.5 million viewers cumulatively, averaged 887,000.
TVNZ researcher Maurine Talpin says this year's sports ratings are higher than normal.
She also said focus groups and sociological research indicated New Zealanders "feel more confident about their identity and would rather watch a show that empowers them".
"That's part of the reason New Zealanders like to watch do-it-yourself TV, even shows like Fair Go, because they give you tips to achieve things yourself.
"People are also more stressed and this means that when they come home they'd rather see an easy-watching show, which might explain the success of the reality TV shows such as Celebrity Treasure Island."
(While many one-off episodes captured broad audiences, such as the final of TV2's Celebrity Treasure Island, it is not among the Top 10 consistent performers of the year.) One News continues to pull the biggest slice of the viewing audience, with an average 715,000 people tuning in, while TV3's 3 News viewing average is just under 300,000.
Bad Girls was the most-watched drama or comedy, with a viewing average of 606,000.
Herald Feature: 2003: Year in review
