Roy pulling plug hits ITV figures

Roy Keane’s latest 11th-hour World Cup withdrawal dealt a massive blow to ITV’s drawing power in Ireland, suggests the results of a new survey.

In a poll conducted before he decided to concentrate on his coaching career, Keane easily topped the table as the pundit people most looked forward to watching during the tournament.

Nearly half (48%) picked the Corkman and he proved even more popular with female viewers — 63% chose him as their favourite.

Eamon Dunphy remains RTÉ’s key attraction, picking up 18% of the vote. It remains to be seen if Dunphy’s live swearing gaffe ahead of Brazil-Mexico can hoover up some of the Keane transfers and re-establish that air of unpredictability that first earned him star billing.

Despite BBC’s investment in new high-profile talent such as Thierry Henry, Clarence Seedorf and Rio Ferdinand, the two Alans — Shearer and Hansen — remain their star attractions. A remarkable 8% of respondents have pinned their summer enjoyment on the wisdom of Alan Shearer, while Hansen’s 5% vote suggests he might have picked the right time to bow out of punditry.

John Giles won’t necessarily be taking the results on their merits — he polled 4%, level with RTÉ stablemate Didi Hamann. In Gilesy’s defence, he was more popular among an older demographic.

Meanwhile, there was one boost for ITV’s prospects: a single respondent out of the 300 polled chose Ian Wright as their favourite.

The research also showed the tournament doesn’t necessarily have the all-consuming appeal its media coverage might indicate.

More than a third (37%) said that they won’t be watching any of the World Cup, while disinterest was greater among younger people — 56% of 18-24s intend to avoid the tournament altogether.

- The survey was conducted by Ipsos MRBI on behalf of PML Group.