Photo Credit: Melbourne Stars
The KFC BBL|14 season roared to life on Sunday night, with record attendance and viewership for the Perth Scorchers’ victory over the Melbourne Stars at Optus Stadium.
A crowd of 30,469 at The Furnace was the highest ever for a BBL opening match, surpassing the 27,676 at Adelaide Oval to begin BBL|04.
It was also just the fourth pre-Christmas match in BBL history to attract over 30,000 fans.
The strong attendance was supported by a combined interim average audience of one million viewers across Seven, 7plus and Foxtel and Kayo Sports.
That audience was the highest for a season opener since BBL|11, and the highest audience for a home and away season match since Boxing Day of BBL|11.
The big BBL opening night viewing audience came as the NRMA Insurance Border-Gavaskar Trophy Series was regularly attracting average audience of up to 1.4 million viewers across all platforms.
There has also been record single day and total attendances for Tests against India in Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane.
With a further 13 BBL games scheduled immediately after stumps in the remaining Border-Gavaskar Trophy Tests, fans will be glued to the action from morning into the night.
Alistair Dobson, Cricket Australia’s Executive General Manager, Big Bash Leagues, said:
“The opening night of KFC BBL|14 has set the tone for an exciting season ahead, with a record crowd at Optus Stadium and one million viewers tuning in nationally.
“Cricket is truly dominating the airwaves at present, with the NRMA Insurance Border-Gavaskar Trophy Series and KFC BBL|14 providing a compelling combination for fans across the country.
“We look forward to more unmissable action tonight and beyond, with a further 13 BBL matches directly following days of Test cricket, and 35 of 39 remaining matches in prime time.”
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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.
