With less than six months to go until the KFC T20 Big Bash League roars back onto television screens around the country, Network Ten is delighted to announce that fans can expect more prime time cricket than ever before when the League’s fourth season launches on Thursday, December 18.
Cricket Australia today released a schedule that sees 34 of 35 matches played in prime time around the country – four more than last season. The post-Christmas period will see 22 matches played in 21 days, all broadcast exclusively on Ten.
The eagerly anticipated 2014-15 season will see more concentrated action, with each of the eight clubs playing in four home and four away matches around the country.
The redeveloped Adelaide Oval will play host to the opening match of the season when the Adelaide Strikers take on the Melbourne Stars.
The semi-finals will be played across the Australia Day weekend, before the season culminates in the Big Final on Wednesday, January 28, 2015.
The best expert commentary team in the business is also back for the 2014-15 season, led by Adam Gilchrist AM and Ricky Ponting AO, along with Mark Waugh AM and Damien Fleming.
Network Ten Head of Sport, David Barham, said: “The KFC T20 Big Bash League beat all our ratings targets in 2013-14 and to have even more cricket in prime time for 2014-15 is great news for Network Ten and all cricket fans.
“The condensed, tighter schedule is a real bonus. With almost every game played in prime time and no break between finals, fans can look forward to a jam-packed summer of cricket.
“You only have one chance to make a good impression and we worked hard to ensure our inaugural KFC T20 Big Bash League broadcast was a first-class television experience for viewers. We look forward to making 2014-15 season even better,” he said.
The KFC T20 Big Bash League debuted on free-to-air television in December 2013 and was a ratings smash.
The 2013-14 season – which ran Friday, December 20, 2013, to Friday, February 7, 2014 – pulled an average capital-city and regional audience of 910,000 viewers and an average capital-city and regional peak audience of 1.29 million.
More than 1.4 million Australians nationally tuned in to watch the Perth Scorchers triumph over the Hobart Hurricanes in the 2013-14 Final.
Across the 2013-14 season, the KFC T20 Big Bash League reached a total of 9.7 million capital-city viewers and 4.1 million regional viewers.
Image via Mitch Gunn / Shutterstock.com
