A torrential downpour thwarted the start of the Australian Open yesterday, with average viewership taking a hit despite an impressive reach of up to 2,286,000.
Despite a massive reach of 2,286,000 for the day session, the national average sat at just 347,000 as a deluge of rain caused havoc on day one of the Open. The city was hit with flash flooding and power outages, causing games to be halted on all open-air courts. At one point, the coverage was so sparse that the network had to start replaying a match from earlier in the day before the news provided a much-needed reprieve.
It was the night sessions that had the best viewership, with a national average of 530,000 and 407,000 as it neared midnight. This was after the match between Aussie Adam Walton and France’s Quentin Halys, which was scheduled at 1 pm, was halted by the rain and finally went to court just after 8 pm.
The Aussie put up a good fight in the first two sets, securing a 4-6 win across both. It looked all but a foregone conclusion, but in the third set, Halys started to fight back, beating Walton 6-4 and securing a tiebreak win in the fourth set to make it anyone’s game in the fifth set.
Walton’s exhaustion was evident, and mistakes started to show, but he still gave it his all in the gruelling 3-hour and 38-minute match. Ultimately, it was Halys who came out of top winning the final set and securing a final, impressive score of 4-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(7/4), 7-5.
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For those not willing to wait around for the tennis to actually start, it was the BBL that did the numbers with a total TV national reach of 2,121,000 and a national average of 643,000 as the Melbourne Renegades took on the Melbourne Stars – shockingly beating the Australian Open in viewership.
That could be, in part, due to the masterclass performance by Glenn Maxwell, who lit up the screen with a barrage of sixes! But whatever it was, Seven is taking that win and running with it!
“What this summer has shown us is that Australian audiences absolutely love the cricket, and we’re only just getting started,” Seven Network director of sport, Chris Jones said. “Record-breaking audiences for the Big Bash League, Women’s Ashes and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy have proven once again that cricket is Australia’s favourite summer sport.
“As we embark on an epic run home towards the BBL Finals, while also watching our nation’s most loved sports team – the Australian women’s cricket team – face England in the Ashes, the action is only going to heat up.
“With only 52 days to go until the 2025 AFL Premiership Season, where Australian viewers will be treated to footy content every night of the week, there’s never been a more exciting time on Seven and 7plus Sport.”
