Photo Credit: Cricket Australia
- Highest attendance for any Test match in Australia at the MCG
- Foxtel and Channel 7 record highest Test match ratings since acquiring rights
- 13,486 Shane Warne Legacy Health Checks
- Highest KFC BBL Crowd at the Gabba since 2008
- Record single-day sessions of 3.2m on Cricket Australia digital platforms
Cricket’s biggest festive season ever has seen records tumble, with the NRMA Insurance Boxing Day Test at the MCG making history with the largest attendance for a Test match played in Australia.
The total attendance of 373,691 surpassed the previous mark of 350,534 from 1937, where fans saw Don Bradman’s Australia defeat England in a six-day Test.
The 74,362 that attended the final day to see Australia defeat India by 184 runs was also a record crowd for day five of a Test in Australia.
Across the Test 13,486 patrons took a free Shane Warne Legacy Health check.
Television viewership records also fell with Foxtel and Channel 7 both achieving their highest rating days of Test cricket since acquiring the rights. Boxing Day itself saw an average of 2.2 million viewers across both broadcaster platforms.
Channel 7’s average audience across the first four days was 1.3m with a reach of seven million nationally across Seven and 7plus Sport.
Cricket Australia’s digital platforms also had a record 3.2m sessions across cricket.com.au and the CA Live app yesterday (Day 4 of the Test) and had 402 million video views on social media channels across the first four days of the Test.
The series now heads to the deciding Test in Sydney with Australia holding a 2-1 lead. All public tickets for the first three days at the SCG are currently exhausted but fans are encouraged to secure their seats for day four as soon as possible via cricket.com.au/tickets
The holiday season has seen fans enjoying wall-to-wall cricket, with continued growth in KFC BBL|14 audiences and attendances during the same period.
Boxing Day was the most attended day of cricket in Australia ever with 152,375 across the Test match and Big Bash fixtures.
Boxing Day saw over 1.2 million tune in to the Sydney Sixers v Melbourne Stars match, making it the most-watched home-and-away game since BBL|07. After 15 matches, BBL ratings have risen 15% year-on-year.
Last night’s sell-out crowd in Brisbane saw 30,122 attend the Brisbane Heat v Sydney Sixers fixture, the highest crowd at the Gabba for a BBL fixture since 2008. Relative to BBL|13, attendances have grown 31% YoY through the first 15 matches.
Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley said: “We knew there would be enormous interest in the NRMA Insurance Border Gavaskar Trophy series, but the record attendances and huge viewing figures have exceeded all expectations.
“To smash the record for greatest total attendance at any Test match played in Australia is a colossal achievement for everyone involved and the festive atmosphere at the MCG was an unforgettable experience.
“Not only has this series demonstrated Australia’s enduring love for our national sport, it has shown the game’s wonderful ability to bring people together.
“Thank you to all the players, match officials and fans from both teams for creating such a momentous occasion.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Stay ahead of the latest cricket industry trends by subscribing to our free cricexec “daily briefing” newsletter.
Name of Author: Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia (CA), formerly the Australian Cricket Board (ACB), is the governing body for cricket in Australia. Established in 1905 as the Australian Board of Control for International Cricket, CA manages all national teams, including Men’s, Women’s, and Youth sides, as well as other national teams. It oversees the organization of Test matches, ODIs, and T20Is, and coordinates home international fixtures.
