The overall viewing figure for the Championship rose for the fifth year in succession, to 816 million; in 2006, global viewers totaled 807 million.
The 62 million figure for the Irish event was well above the 51 million average audience for WRC rally in 2007. Simon Long, chief executive of WRC rights-holders International Sportsworld Communicators, said: "Rally Ireland was a tremendous addition to the WRC calendar and clearly demonstrated the value of introducing new locations to the championship…From a TV perspective, the jewels in the crown of Rally Ireland were the spectacular two live stages in Stormont Castle, Belfast and Mullaghmore, Sligo."
The four-day Irish event, sponsored by the Irish tourist authority, Failte Ireland, and Northern Irish sports development body, Sport Northern Ireland, took place in November 2007.
It attracted 250,000 race-goers to various stages held across eight counties on either side of the border in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic, and was estimated to have generated over €48 million for the local economy.
