The move from entertainment to current affairs has proved a TV success for RTE’s Pat Kenny whose The Frontline programme scooped top position in viewership figures.
According to the list of top 20 programmes for the station, the final of the first series of The Frontline on July 12 last was the most-watched programme on Irish television that week with an average audience of 524,000 people, equating to a share of 36 per cent. That particular edition of the programme addressed whether the economy had really improved since the first programme aired in September 2009.
The Frontline proved an immediate success with Irish viewers from its first outing in September 2009, with an average 400,000 people watching on Monday evenings.
Its studio format of live audience and selected guests debating the hottest topics of the week has consistently made headlines in the media and within Dáil Éireann.
The highest number of viewers was recorded on February 8 when an average audience of 627,000 watched The Frontline debate on George Lee’s retirement from politics.
Pat Kenny returns with the new series of the programme on RTÉ One at 10.35pm on Monday September 20.
