Seven’s Summer of Cricket has opened with its strongest-ever audience performance, with 8.06 million Australians tuning into the Second Ashes Test at the Gabba across Seven and 7plus Sport across four days.
The Brisbane Test delivered an average national Total TV audience of 1.21 million, marking a 6% lift on the First Test and a 36% jump year-on-year compared to last season’s Second Test.
It also now stands as Seven’s highest-rated Gabba Test and highest-rated Day-Night Test on record.
Digital audiences surged alongside broadcast, with 194,000 viewers streaming each session on 7plus Sport on average, up 178% year-on-year.
The highest-rated session was Day four, Session two, which reached 2.51 million Australians nationally and averaged 1.54 million, ranking #1 across all people, 25–54s, 16–39s, and grocery shoppers.
Seven’s strongest ever start to summer cricket
With both Tests now in the books, Seven is officially recording its best start to a Summer of Cricket ever.
Across the first two Ashes Tests, Seven is averaging 1.19 million nationally in Total TV, up 50% year-on-year, while 7plus Sport streaming is up 212%.
The First Test at Optus Stadium in Perth reached 6.2 million Australians, with an average Total TV audience of 1.15 million, representing a 57% year-on-year increase.
Streaming across that match averaged 186,000 viewers per session, up 232% on last year.
Seven’s Head of Cricket Joel Starcevic said Brisbane delivered a blockbuster moment for the series.
“Brisbane delivered another unforgettable chapter of The Ashes, with Mitchell Starc producing a performance for the ages to claim Player of the Match honours once again,” Starcevic said.
“Steve Smith and Jofra Archer reignited their spicy Ashes rivalry late on day four, which has us all pumped for the next Ashes instalment – the Adelaide Test.”
Commentary firepower and looming schedule
Starcevic credited Seven’s on-air talent with elevating the broadcast across the Test.
“The Gabba Test was elevated by cricket’s #1 commentary team, with world-leading analyst Stuart Broad, the unmatched insight of Ricky Ponting, the expertise of Matthew Hayden, Aaron Finch, Trent Copeland and Simon Katich, and the brilliance of Alison Mitchell, Alister Nicholson and James Brayshaw guiding viewers through every defining moment,” he said.
Seven’s cricket pipeline continues at pace, with the Women’s Big Bash League Finals Series beginning this week, followed by the BBL season opener on Sunday, 14 December, and the Third Ashes Test at Adelaide Oval starting Wednesday, 17 December.
The early Ashes surge reinforces Seven’s grip on the summer sports audience. It underlines the continued commercial power of premium live cricket across both broadcast and BVOD – particularly as Total TV measurement continues to sharpen and advertiser confidence in cross-platform reach grows.