It may have been delayed by one hour but the SBS broadcast of the Socceroos victory over Iraq in Tuesday night's World Cup Qualifier also proved to be a win for the broadcaster, with the coverage ranking as the eleventh highest rating show ever on SBS. SBS have denied claims on social media that its news bulletin that aired during the half-time break contained any reference or allusion to the result. While the bulletin did contain a story on the game, it focused on fan attendance rather than the result. Many following the game on Twitter, unwittingly had the last gasp victory spoiled for them by those watching on FoxSports or at the ground. "Last night's Socceroos match against Iraq has entered the list of all time highest rating programs on SBS at number 11 and shows the power of event viewing and shared experiences in generating large audiences," said Ken Shipp, head of sport for SBS. The match is also the highest rating program for the network since 2010. The highest rating program ever on SBS was the World Cup Qualifier between Australia and Uruguay in 2005, which recorded a metro audience of 2.484 million, however that match was broadcast live. SBS's delayed broadcast of the game last night drew an audience of 1.1 million across the five metropolitan capitals to rank fifth in the highest rating shows of the night. The live coverage on FoxSports 3 was also immensely popular, with 549,000 subscribers tuning in, to rank it easily the most watched pay TV show on the night. That was almost seven times the audience for the Lions versus Brumbies rugby union match on FoxSports 2, which came in third behind FoxSports' Road to Rio build up show to the Socceroos game. While SBS began their coverage at the time of kickoff, with studio analysis of the game and its impact, the match itself was delayed by an hour, leaving viewers open to have the result spoiled for them through social media outlets such as Twitter. That pre-match coverage also rated well for SBS, drawing 629,000 viewers. An SBS spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday morning that the one hour delay in the free-to-air coverage was required under the terms of the broadcast agreement with Football Federation Australia which distributes the rights to broadcast the games, with FoxSports having an exclusive live broadcast arrangement. The spokesperson admitted that the network would broadcast the game earlier if they were allowed to. Away from sport, the competition for ratings was even tighter in the renovation reality stakes. Nine spent its first night after The Voice grand final facing a genuine challenge to ratings staple The Block. Seven's House Rules completed an extraordinary comeback from its seeming ratings turkey status on debut to overtake The Block Sky High for the first time, with it ranking third ahead of The Block in fourth spot for the night. "The continued growth of House Rules has been very satisfying," said Brad Lyons, Seven's Director of Network Production. The show has grown in popularity since its launch as audiences have become accustomed to this new and exciting format. We're thrilled with the response and it's a tremendous result. The 1.16 million viewers watching House Rules made for the show's best Tuesday night audience ever, and helped Seven to a comfortable win for the night overall as Nine was hurt by the poor ratings performance of this year's Celebrity Apprentice, which only managed a measly 596,000 viewers. Free-to-air ratings: Nine News Nine 1,302,000 Seven News Seven 1,255,000 House Rules Seven 1,159,000 The Block Sky High Nine 1,131,000 Packed To The Rafters Seven 1,081,000 A Current Affair Nine 1,073,000 Today Tonight Seven 1,029,000 Home And Away Seven 971,000 Hot Seat Nine 791,000 The Big Bang Theory (R) Nine 747,000 Ten News At Five Ten 702,000 Masterchef Australia Ten 679,000 New Tricks (R) ABC1 610,000 The Celebrity Apprentice Boardroom Nine 596,000 The Project Ten 570,000 Subscription ratings: Live: Football: WCQ: Australia V Iraq Fox Sports 3 549,000 Live: Football: Road To Rio Fox Sports 3 284,000 Live: Rugby: Lions Tour: Brum V Lions Fox Sports 2 82,000 Live: Football: Road To Rio Fox Sports 3 81,000 Live: AFL 360 Fox Footy 74,000 Family Guy Fox8 73,000 Futurama Fox8 69,000 Live: The Back Page Fox Sports 3 67,000 The Simpsons Fox8 66,000 The Simpsons Fox8 55,000