Parky breaks pay TV ratings record in Oz

Michael Parkinson's interview with cricketer Shane Warne has broken the record for the highest-rated subscription TV show ever in Australia.

The 90 minute special, Parkinson: The Shane Warne Interview, averaged more than 400,000 across its initial 7:30pm premiere slot on UKTV and its subsequent 9:30pm airing on UKTV+2, and reached "in excess of 733,000 viewers."

The popularity of the interview pushed subscription TV ahead of free to air network TV among all homes in Australia's metro areas.

"This is an amazing result for UKTV," said UKTV CEO Tony Iffland. "Michael Parkinson demonstrated why he is one of the world's greatest interviewers, giving our audience a captivating and insightful conversation with Shane Warne. The audience figures are a great reward and a testament to the care, dedication and professionalism of all involved in the programme."

UKTV is planning further encore airings of the interview