Foxtel Group has scored its third straight year of record viewership for the Suncorp Super Netball season, as the Adelaide Thunderbirds defeated the Melbourne Vixens to become back-to-back champions over the weekend.
Foxtel’s streaming platforms Kayo Sports, Foxtel Now, and Foxtel Go contributed to this growth, with 63% of netball audiences using these services.
The grand final recorded over 9 million minutes of streamed content across Foxtel Group’s streaming services, the business said.
“This Suncorp Super Netball season has been the biggest yet, and we have seen significant growth in viewership across Foxtel and Kayo Sports,” said Netball Australia CEO Stacey West.
“This season’s record viewership is a testament to the strength of the competition and the incredible broadcast experience delivered to fans each week.”
Executive producer of Fox Netball Erin Ferreira added: “We supercharged the Kayo Sports experience this season with the introduction of 4K. We’re also thrilled that the Kayo Freebies audience continues to grow, giving more people easy access to the sport. Congratulations to the team and league on another brilliant season.”
As part of Foxtel Group’s broadcast and streaming rights deal for the 2024 season, Kayo Sports subscribers were able to access all games.
Helping the audience growth was two games per round and every match of the 2024 Final Series being available via Kayo Freebies.
The third year of Foxtel Group and Netball Australia’s partnership came amidst a challenging offseason, with significant board turnover within Netball Australia and a long-running pay dispute.
When the season returned in April, Kayo Sports executive director Cate Hefele said: “We are seeing more fans coming to Kayo to watch netball, with viewership growing nearly 15% last season, and this year we are looking for even further growth as we welcome a new team, new rivalries, and the fierce world-class competition that Super Netball delivers.”
See also: Fox Netball returns this weekend to cover new season of Suncorp Super Netball