Viewer numbers put runs on board for Foxtel

AUSTRALIA has dominated the start of the summer of cricket and so have Foxtel and Kayo Sports, with record numbers underlining a stellar offering of content.

Day two of the Boxing Day Test was one for the ages, with 620,000 people tuning in to watch David Warner notch his double century during the third session, making it the most-viewed Test session yet for the Foxtel Group.

With an average of 554,000 viewers, day two of the Boxing Day Test also ranked as the No.1 Test cricket day so far, while the series against South Africa attracted an average audience of 423,000 – the second-highest on record.

The appetite for the Big Bash League has also exploded, with an average audience of 239,000 across 35 games – a 20 per cent increase on last season.

Meanwhile, the acclaimed Allan Border: My Story became Foxtel Group’s highest rating documentary series yet, with an audience of 792,000 tuning in for episode one.

Fox Sports executive director Steve Crawley hailed the landmark figures and once again welcomed Warner to the Fox Cricket fold, having secured a landmark seven-year TV rights deal with Cricket Australia to the end of 2031.

“What an incredible summer of cricket on Foxtel and Kayo Sports with the Australia v South Africa Test series and the BBL in particular proving more than popular with our audiences – and the signing of our new commentator David Warner, we have a lot to celebrate,” Crawley said.

“Warner’s double century in his 100th Test at the Boxing Day match has already become part of Australian sporting lore. And then he waltzes in the next morning of play, sits down on the Fox Cricket panel for 15 minutes and happily explains the unexplainable in yet another exclusive insight.”