TEST TV RATINGS THROUGH THE ROOF

ARGUABLY the greatest Test series of all time has translated to the highest-rating Test series in subscription TV history.

Fox Sports and Kayo averaged 371,000 viewers across 100 hours of live play during the Gabba Test, with over 400,000 tuning into the enthralling final session, making it the No.1 rating Brisbane Test ever.

It ranks as the most watched Test series ever on subscription TV – even without including numbers from streaming service Kayo – and the fourth Test was up 54 per cent on the last time India toured two years ago.

The overall series was up 37 per cent on the last BorderGavaskar

Trophy, and all that with the main event Virat Kohli gone after the first Test.

“India’s tour has been one for the ages. The quality of cricket has been outstanding, we have seen established stars at the top of their game, new heroes emerge and our multicultural nation has loved it,” said Steve Crawley, executive director Fox Sports.

“We saw the ODI and T20 series break records, and after two months of cricket, it’s clear the nation could not get enough, with new subscription television records set throughout the Test Series.

“At Fox Sports, we want to bring the best sports alive for fans with the best commentary and production. We have been blessed with a great summer of cricket, including the BBL, and these outstanding audience figures reflect record numbers of sports fans love what our team do and are choosing to watch on Foxtel and stream on Kayo.”

Channel 7 might be at war with Cricket Australia off the field, but the free-to-air network also celebrated record ratings, with the last day of the fourth Test reaching 3.68 million people and peaking at 1.8 million.

Seven’s total average national audience across the fourth Test was 727,000, which is up 11 per cent on the 2018-19 SCG Test between the two nations, while the capital city audience was 491,000 and up 10 per cent on two years ago.