IRISH VIEWING FIGURES for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Israel were down compared to the last number of years.

The numbers for Saturday’s broadcast have shown that 284,700 people watched the show, a market share of 28%, RTÉ has said.

Market share is based on the number of people watching TV in Ireland at a given time, so this can be influenced by the amount of people seeking to watch an event or show.

The viewership for 2019 is substantially below the 689,900 people (52% share) who watched in 2018 when Ireland had a participant in the final. 

Ireland did not have a participant in this year’s final after contestant Sarah McTernan failed to qualify from last Thursday’s second semi-final. 

Two years ago in 2017, when Ireland again did not have a participant in the final, a total of 316,700 people tuned in. 

This is 32,000 more people than tuned in this year. 

Ireland did not have a performer in the final in 2016 either and 316,100 people tuned in, 31,400 more than this year. 

Figures also show that fewer people watched this year’s Irish semi-final compared to the last four years. 

These figures were as follows.

Eurovision semi-final containing Ireland

2019 (Tel Aviv)

• 254,700 (22% share)

2018 (Lisbon)

• 329,100 (28% share)

2017 (Kyiv)

• 324,300 (25% share)

2016 (Stockholm)

• 350,300 (28% share)

There were widespread calls for a boycott of this year’s event both in Ireland and abroad.

In Ireland, the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign campaigned for a boycott with the support of musicians like Christy Moore and former contest winner Charlie McGettigan.

During Saturday’s Eurovision in Tel Aviv, members if Icelandic group Hatari had banners featuring the Palestine flag confiscated from them.