The Australian Open debuted its 1 Point Slam competition overnight on Nine to nearly 1.8 million viewers. The fast paced, ruthless tournament involved players of all calibres fighting it out for a whopping one million dollars. The catch though, each match was only one rally.
The event driven by Kia featured a mixed field that included Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Frances Tiafoe, Alexander Zverev, Nick Kyrgios and a broad range of amateurs.
In a true Aussie underdog story, a total TV national average audience of 561,000 people tuned in to witness 29-year-old Sydney tennis coach, Jordan Smith upstage professionals to take home the prize money. What was even more impressive was the fact that he left professionals Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff and even reigning AO champion Jannik Sinner in his dust.
Seven also utilised sport to captivate audiences over the world. It’s BBL coverage between the Hobart Hurricanes and Brisbane Heat drew in a total TV national reach of 2,171,000 and an average of 653,000. In the match, Nathan McSweeney’s handy 49 with the bat helped the Heat beat the reigning champs by a mere three runs.
Fresh off his Aussie duties, Beau Webster continues to impress in the Big Bash slogging 51 runs to help Hobart with its run chase. But unfortunately for the Aussie all rounder, it wasn’t to be for the Hurricanes.
