England’s stunning one-wicket victory over Australia in the third Test of the Ashes saw a record-breaking 2.1 million viewers watch the game on British pay-TV channel Sky Sports.
Ben Stokes hit 135 not out to guide the hosts to their highest-ever fourth innings chase of 359 at Headingley to keep the series alive, drawing the biggest audience for a Test match on Sky in the process.
The figure is also the highest recorded in the UK for cricket’s longest format since the 2005 Ashes were shown by commercial broadcaster Channel 4, which saw 7.4 million viewers tune in for the finale of the five-game series.
Despite roping in a record audience, Sky has ruled out making any of the remaining two Test matches available on free-to-air television, according to the Telegraph.
The broadcaster agreed a deal with Channel 4 earlier this year to share its coverage of the ICC Cricket World Cup final between eventual champions England and New Zealand but apparently has no plans to do the same for the Ashes.
That game, which England won after an equally dramatic Super Over, drew an audience of 8.7 million, with 3.5 million watching on Sky’s various channels and the remaining 5.2 million tuning in via terrestrial television.
Stokes’ heroics on Sunday, which saw the all-rounder hit 74 off 45 balls in a last-wicket stand with Jack Leach, also helped free-to-air Channel 5 to an audience of over 2 million for its one-hour highlights package which aired following the conclusion of day four in Leeds.
The game also clocked impressive figures for the BBC’s Test Match Special radio coverage, which claimed more than 1.275 million listeners online alone.
In addition, BBC Sport’s live text of the match achieved 3.3 million browsers and 3.7 million requests for video highlight clips, helping the public broadcaster to a total reach of 8.3 million across all platforms.
England’s stunning one-wicket victory over Australia in the third Test of the Ashes saw a record-breaking 2.1 million viewers watch the game on British pay-TV channel Sky Sports.
Ben Stokes hit 135 not out to guide the hosts to their highest-ever fourth innings chase of 359 at Headingley to keep the series alive, drawing the biggest audience for a Test match on Sky in the process.
The figure is also the highest recorded in the UK for cricket’s longest format since the 2005 Ashes were shown by commercial broadcaster Channel 4, which saw 7.4 million viewers tune in for the finale of the five-game series.
Despite roping in a record audience, Sky has ruled out making any of the remaining two Test matches available on free-to-air television, according to the Telegraph.
The broadcaster agreed a deal with Channel 4 earlier this year to share its coverage of the ICC Cricket World Cup final between eventual champions England and New Zealand but apparently has no plans to do the same for the Ashes.
That game, which England won after an equally dramatic Super Over, drew an audience of 8.7 million, with 3.5 million watching on Sky’s various channels and the remaining 5.2 million tuning in via terrestrial television.
Stokes’ heroics on Sunday, which saw the all-rounder hit 74 off 45 balls in a last-wicket stand with Jack Leach, also helped free-to-air Channel 5 to an audience of over 2 million for its one-hour highlights package which aired following the conclusion of day four in Leeds.
The game also clocked impressive figures for the BBC’s Test Match Special radio coverage, which claimed more than 1.275 million listeners online alone.
In addition, BBC Sport’s live text of the match achieved 3.3 million browsers and 3.7 million requests for video highlight clips, helping the public broadcaster to a total reach of 8.3 million across all platforms.
Getty Images
