The digital TV era has enabled the Nine Network to post record ratings for a State Of Origin match, the biggest audience for a State Of Origin match since official ratings began.

New South Wales’ drought breaking title win over Queensland in State of Origin Game Two on Wednesday was watched by 2.682 million viewers, according to OzTAM’s overnight ratings.

The previous best was Game Three in 2012, which was watched by 2.626 million viewers.

Nine was able to achieve the massive number on Wednesday by combining its primary channel figures in four states with the ratings on its secondary Gem channel in Perth.

The time difference means the game starts when Nine’s Perth news is being telecast, therefore State Of Origin is telecast live on Gem.

State Of Origin Game Two filled the first three places in the overnight ratings.

The post-match segment attracted 1.897 million viewers and the pre-match segment had an audience of 1.747 million. Nothing else got the close for the night.

Network Ten’s MasterChef was the highest non-sport or non-news program in the top 10.

The reality cooking show was ninth with 859,000 viewers, while Home And Away was 10th with 850,000 viewers.

Ten’s drama Offspring was 12th with an audience of 823,000, although it was the fourth most watched show in Melbourne, where it had 360,000 viewers.