The first clash between the NSW 'Blues' and QLD 'Maroons' in the 2018 State of Origin series took place overnight, drawing in an audience of 2,353,000 across the five city metros.
This figure was slightly up on last year's game one ratings, which drew an audience of 2.348m, while the national average audience was down compared to 2017, drawing in 3.456m viewers.
Regional viewers made up 1.103m of the national audience. The national peak audience reached 3.894 million.
The Blues delivered the first blow to the Maroons in the highest rating TV event of 2018, taking control of the series with a 22-12 win in Melbourne.
On 9Now, live streaming had an average VPM of 55,000, which is a record on the platform and a record for live streaming this year.
Returning to the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the first time since 2015, following the decision by Nine and the NRL to change the series schedule, attendance reached 87,122.
The pre-match and post-match coverage also dominated the ratings, taking out the second and third sports, with 1.127m and 758,000 viewers, respectively.
The ratings performance is a good sign for Nine and the NRL who are both banking on strong viewership this year, following scheduling changes to the series.
Earlier this month, Nine head of sales of sport, Matt Granger, told AdNews Nine was confident in the decision to move the second game of the series to Sunday night and hopes it will deliver a broader audience for the network.
The two teams will meet again for the first Sunday game in over 15 years on 24 June, as the Blues look to raise the shield for the first time since 2014.
Despite the early win, Queensland remains confident, coming back from a similar position in 2017 to win the final two games of the series.
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