The overnight TV ratings was a story of sport above all else.
Seven’s coverage of the Brisbane Lions’ away win at Geelong topped the charts with a total TV national reach of 2.29 million and an average of 747,000.
SBS’ World Cup coverage of compelling World Cup matches continued. The Belgium vs Senegal, which kicked off at 6am Sydney time, drew a crowd too. Some 1.68 million tuned in and the game’s average audience stood at 554,000.
They were in for one of the more controversial games of the early knockout rounds in the World Cup with Senegal storming to a 2-0 courtesy of goals from Habib Diarra and Crystal Palace ace Ismaila Sarr.
However, Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans scored two late goals in dramatic fashion to level the score and send the game into extra time.
Then, at the end of the second 15-minute period of extra time, Belgium were awarded a highly controversial penalty. After a lengthy VAR check, Tielemans dispatched the goal to send the Black Cats home and the Red Devils into the next round.
The USA’s game against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which kicked off at 10am Sydney time drew a reach of 1.52 million and an average of 727,000.
Just 608,000 tuned in for England’s tedious, attritional win over DR Congo. And frankly, who can blame them.
