Data: 1st Ashes Test breaks Sky Sports viewing records
June 22, 2023
By Colin Mann
The opening fixture of the Ashes series brought Sky Sports its highest ever viewing figures for a cricket Test match, with a peak of 2.12 million viewers in home.
An average audience of 1.17 million tuned in on day five, with a combined average of 877k across all five days of the match, making it the most watched Ashes Test on Sky Sports ever, and beating the famous final Test in 2009 (717k).
The peak audience of 2.12 million came on day five, when viewers saw Australia snatch a two-wicket victory over Ben Stokes’ England side on a closely-contested final day.
Across Sky Sports’ digital platforms, the Sky Sports App had 11.7 million page views vs. 1.5 million at the 2019 Ashes, with skysports.com recording 3.9 million page views vs 2.7 million in 2019. Digital streaming of the action saw 1.8 million views, and there were more than 20 million views of Ashes content across Sky’s social channels. According to Sky, this shows how fans are consuming their content across multiple Sky Sports’ digital and social media channels and demonstrating significant growth in fan engagement with cricket content.
The record-breaking figures come following a period of significant momentum in the build up to this series, as fans look forward to a new era of England’s approach to play.
“Great to see such a thrilling start to the Ashes series, and to see that millions of fans are enjoying cricket content across the board,” declared Jonathan Licht, Sky Sports Managing Director. “Equally we’re delighted to see so many young fans engage across so many of our digital channels. We have a fantastic opportunity with both the Men’s and Women’s sides who are playing some of the most entertaining cricket in recent memory, and our Sky Sports teams will continue to deliver all of the action throughout the series, via our exclusive coverage and unparalleled commentary team.
“The Women’s Test gets underway tomorrow at Trent Bridge, where we are set and excited to see fans get behind England’s campaign against a fierce Australian team. As the long-term broadcast partner with England Cricket, we are proud to tell the Ashes story and continue to support the growth of both the men’s and women’s game this series and beyond.”
“This first Men’s Test kept us all on the edge of our seats and showed the thrills of Test cricket at its best,” added Tony Singh, Chief Commercial Officer at the ECB. “It’s great to see the excitement it’s generated across the country, whether it was the sell-out crowds inside Edgbaston or the millions watching on TV, online or listening. With Sky’s coverage consistently world-beating, it’s no wonder it’s made a record- breaking start to the series, and with the Metro Bank Women’s Ashes beginning tomorrow, and another four Men’s Tests to come, there is a massive summer of cricket still to come.”