Tigers take lion's share
28 July 2006 Herald-Sun
RICHMOND is the TV king of Friday night football.
The yellow and black attract a bigger average Melbourne TV audience for the prime-time fixture than any other club.
Terry Wallace's men lure more than 479,000 fans each time they take to the Friday night stage, proving those in Tigerland love their lounge room footy.
Figures provided by OzTam show the Tigers have been a couch potato's best friend since Channel 9 won the AFL rights in 2002.
But rival Essendon is the runaway favourite when it comes to selecting the combatants for the lucrative slot.
Of the 101 Friday night games played since the start of 2002, the Bombers have featured in 33 - the most of any team.
And they are averaging more than 468,000 viewers. The Kangaroos, who became the pioneers of the night football concept in the 1980s, are third with an average of 464,846.
Collingwood rates well, with Friday night games boasting an average of 458,357 viewers.
The biggest average Melbourne television audience for Friday night football on Channel 9 is 639,000 for the Collingwood-Essendon clash in the last round of 2003.
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