Fans have flocked to Maori TV during the Rugby World Cup, with its live coverage reaching more individual viewers than any other broadcaster.
Ratings figures released this week show the broadcaster reaching more individual New Zealanders than any other channel for live games.
The Nielsen viewership figures showed Maori TV had a reach of 2,068,100 individual viewers aged over five, or 51 per cent of all viewers, edging out TVNZ with 2,056,200 viewers, or 50.7 per cent.
That was followed by TV3 with 1,579,400 viewers, or 38.9 percent, and Sky Sport 1 with 1,444,300 viewers, or 35.6 per cent.
Maori TV said its audience has on average been 56 per cent larger than industry estimates pre-tournament.
Its largest audience before the tournament was for the David Tua v Friday Ahununya boxing match last March, with 310,410 viewers.
That record has since been eclipsed by the nine live Rugby World Cup games it has broadcast, with 696,430 viewers tuning in to watch the All Blacks beat Japan in pool play last month - the second largest audience for any tournament match so far.
Maori TV chief executive Jim Mather said more than half a million new viewers had tuned in to Maori TV for the first time during the tournament.
The broadcaster had captured the mood of the nation by approaching the tournament with "a more relaxed, friendly style''.
"The numbers don't lie and clearly show New Zealanders have switched on to Maori Television,'' he said.
"We feel like we've already won our World Cup.''
Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples said the viewership results showed the broadcaster had won New Zealanders' respect.
"The feedback I've had is that people loved the commentary teams, the mix of personalities, their knowledge of the game and the banter between them.''
The viewership figures have had a spillover effect, with more people watching Maori TV in general. News show Te Kaea's ratings have almost doubled over the last month, and 180,000 watched the free-to-air premiere of Boy.
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