Last Updated on 2 days by Charbel Coorey
Cricket News: Strong crowds & ratings mark Australia 2023/24 cricket season | Australian summer sees good crowds and ratings
The Australian 2023/24 season has been one for strong crowds and ratings. Last season, debates rung around as to whether the Australian public still loved cricket as low crowds – particularly during the T20 World Cup – were considered cause for concerns. This season, cricket fans rushed through the gates, and have been engaged both on TV and digital platforms.
Pakistan, who haven’t won a Test in Australia since 1995, was considered likely to be an easy series win for Australia. But, competitive performances by Pakistan in the MCG and SCG Tests saw excellent viewing figures in the stadium, on broadcasts,and social media.
Also, the move back to a shorter Big Bash League (BBL) season seems to have worked nicely for Cricket Australia (CA). Crowds in particular have been strong during the January peak period, where engagement typically picks up after Christmas.
Australia 2023/24 season: Pakistan Tests see strong engagement figures
The first Test at Perth was cause for contention among the public. 16,259 was the highest crowd across the four days, but it must be noted the match was held in mid-December.
The Boxing Day Test was a terrific match and was well viewed. There was a total attendance of 164,835 across four days, including over 60,000 on Boxing Day when the forecast did not look promising. Also, 5.5 million Australians were reached across the Channel Seven and Fox Cricket broadcasts.
Here are some other Boxing Day Test highlights:
- 250,000 fans attended Big Bash matches between 26-29 December.
- 132 million video views across Cricket Australia’s social media channels for the Test.
- Biggest-ever audience on Kayo Sports for day one of a Boxing Day Test.
The New Years’ Test at the SCG was also a success. There was a total attendance of 125,292 across four days of David Warner’s farewell match, which is the highest at the ground since the India Test in 2018/19. Also, 322,000 Virtual Pink Seats were purchased, helping fund 46 breastcare nurses as part of the McGrath Foundation.
Big Bash League sees a strong upturn
The BBL had suffered through a few difficult seasons crowd-wise. The move to a 61-game season led to viewer fatigue, forcing a move back to 44 matches. This reaped rewards, with crowds up 29 per cent on last season at the halfway point of the season. This includes 42,504 at Adelaide Oval for the New Years’ Eve match between Adelaide Strikers and Melbourne Stars.
Also, since the midway point, the crowds continued to grow. 41,207 fans watched Sydney Sixers take down Sydney Thunder on January 12. 32,583 fans braved the 41-degree heat at Optus Stadium on 13 January for the clash between Perth Scorchers and Brisbane Heat. 41,205 attended the Melbourne Renegades-Melbourne Stars clash at Marvel Stadium to farewell Aaron Finch.
In addition, TV ratings are regularly 400,000-plus each night across Channel Seven and Fox Cricket according to tvtonight.com.au. All in all, the summer has proven to be a pretty solid one for CA with Tests and limited-overs against the West Indies still to come. This sets things up nicely for what should be bumper summers in 2024/25 and 2025/26 with India and England touring respectively.
