Having a closer look at the Brisbane ratings for that night, seems Scooby Doo was far more dominant than could be expected - not only did it beat the AFL, but also the rugby union international.
Scooby Doo rated 182,000, the rugby 153,000 and the AFL 123,000. (source) More commercial FTA viewers watched sport than non-sport programming, although the sporting audience was split. And the AFL, even though it didn't beat the rugby, was more than competitive - and that would have been unthinkable just a couple of years ago, when a Wallabies game would have wiped the AFL's ratings out.
What Andrew Hamilton failed to pick up on, and neither did any other journo that I've seen, is that Scooby Doo also beat the rugby in Sydney, 263,000 to 256,000. There was no AFL on FTA in Sydney on Saturday night; but in rugby heartland for the Wallabies to be beaten by Scooby Doo is a bad result for the rugby.
Scooby Doo rated 182,000, the rugby 153,000 and the AFL 123,000. (source) More commercial FTA viewers watched sport than non-sport programming, although the sporting audience was split. And the AFL, even though it didn't beat the rugby, was more than competitive - and that would have been unthinkable just a couple of years ago, when a Wallabies game would have wiped the AFL's ratings out.
What Andrew Hamilton failed to pick up on, and neither did any other journo that I've seen, is that Scooby Doo also beat the rugby in Sydney, 263,000 to 256,000. There was no AFL on FTA in Sydney on Saturday night; but in rugby heartland for the Wallabies to be beaten by Scooby Doo is a bad result for the rugby.