Women’s sport a TV highlight for second successive weekend
Just one week after both Seven and Fox Sports enjoyed big ratings for the final of the WBBL, the two broadcasters have again scored strong audiences for the launch of the AFL Women’s competition.
Seven’s numbers for the first AFLW game early on Saturday evening were 375,000 watching across metro and regional markets. The metro audience for the game between Collingwood and the new Geelong team was 271,000.
A second game in the evening between the Adelaide Crows and the Bulldogs did 256,000 national with 183,000 metro.
The Fox Footy audience for its first live clashes of 2019 were just over 50,000 for each match.
Gridiron played Sydney Harbour ahead of Super Bowl LIII
To celebrate Super Bowl LIII streaming on ESPN via Kayo Sports, Foxtel and its PR team went to extraordinary lengths just one day before the Super Bowl to promote its coverage of the match.
Gridiron was played on a giant barge on Sydney Harbour for the first time, featuring Aussie sports stars including All-Pro Australian punter, Michael Dickson, after a breakout debut NFL season with the Seattle Seahawks.
Surrounded by Sydney’s most iconic landmarks, the NFL’s rising star was joined by Adelaide Crows’ key forward, Josh Jenkins, BBL|08 leading run scorer, D’Arcy Short, Waratahs’ fly half Bernard Foley, Rabbitohs’ centre Dane Gagai, Broncos’ playmaker Kodi Nikorima, plus former NFL defensive tackle, Colin Scotts.
Local players from the Northern Sydney Rebels played a game of gridiron on the massive 55-metre-long barge before the Aussie stars joined them to celebrate Monday’s big game.
Kayo subscribers will have front row seats to the biggest day in American sport – streaming all the action anywhere in Australia via iOS and Android devices, laptop, PC and on TV with Telstra TV, Apple TV and Chromecast Ultra. If fans sign up by Monday February 4 they’ll be able to take advantage of the last day of Kayo’s five dollar sign up.
Kayo’s game-changing features SplitView and picture in picture will be the go-to functions for many users. SplitView allows Kayo subscribers the ability to watch up to four different videos, games or shows on web, tablet devices and selected casting to TVs – and two videos simultaneously on mobile, all on the one screen. This means fans can watch Super Bowl LIII along with the fourth day of the Australia v Sri Lanka Domain Second Test.
Macquarie Sports Radio taking listeners to Cricket World Cup
Macquarie Sports Radio wants to continue to be the number one dedicated commercial radio station for cricket fans after reaching an agreement to broadcast the ICC Cricket World Cup starting on May 30 this year.
In conjunction with Channel 2 and Sports Flashes, Macquarie Sports Radio will deliver all of Australia’s nine matches and the finals to listeners across Australia plus provide access for all 48 matches online at sportsradio.com.au
England and Wales will stage the tournament, which is the third most watched global event and will this year consist of 10 nations all vying for the cup, currently held by Australia.
Former Australian coach and now Macquarie Sports Radio commentator Darren Lehmann said: “There’s no bigger stage than the ICC Cricket World Cup and for us at Macquarie Sports Radio to be able to bring it to the listeners is going to be a real buzz.
“The way Australia finished this summer and given the return of some quality players ahead of the tournament, I give the Aussies a really good chance of defending the title,” Lehmann added.
Australia’s campaign begins on Saturday, June 1 against Afghanistan with other matches scheduled against West Indies, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, England, New Zealand and South Africa.
Macquarie Media CEO Adam Lang said: “The ICC Cricket World Cup will see the world’s best competing against each other and we are delighted to have secured the rights. Following on from an outstanding summer, we are determined to keep fulfilling the credo of covering all sports all the time”.
Macquarie Sports Radio, via Sports Flashes, will also broadcast Australia’s Tour of India, which will include two T20s and five One Day Internationals starting on February 24.
Victory CEO “shocked” and “concerned” by A-League TV audiences
Melbourne Victory CEO Trent Jacobs admits he was “shocked” by the poor TV ratings from their Australia Day clash against Sydney FC, 1116 SEN reported last week.
The Big Blue encounter on Saturday night attracted just 31,000 Fox Sports viewers and Jacobs believes the poor numbers can be put down to a couple of reasons.
“I was a bit shocked if I’m honest and it hasn’t been consistent with our games throughout the year,” Jacobs told SEN’s Gerard Whateley.
“A lot of the sporting broadcast and attendance numbers are down, so we’re very pleased that we’re holding strong.”
Jacobs says FFA and A-League chiefs are working together to try and arrest the league-wide ratings slide.
“Year-on-year they’re down now,” he added.
“It is an issue and as I mentioned it’s an issue for a number of codes. It’s certainly something that is being discussed in CEO meetings and no doubt trying to be addressed in a number of different ways.”