Seven and Fox Sport’s ideal summer of Test cricket would have seen the Ashes decided during the fifth and final test to ensure bumper TV ratings.
Instead of a possible decision coming as close as possible to the 25th day of Test cricket, Australia managed to win the series on the 12th day. The victory came on the back of a day that delivered a seemingly endless list of test records.
Seven and Fox Cricket didn’t even get to the halfway mark of the Third Test as TV ratings will only measure seven sessions across two-and-a-bit days. Viewers got to see 1,084 balls bowled during which time 30 wickets fell.
UK’s Sky Sports summarised just some of them: England spend 14 days in quarantine – and then lose the Ashes series in 12; Joe Root’s side equal their record of 54 ducks from 1998 and match Bangladesh’s record nine Test defeats in a year from 2003; tourists tumble to the lowest score in Australia since 1904 after being razed for 68 at MCG.
3rd Test Australia v England December 26
Day One Melbourne (Sunday)
Seven and Fox Cricket
First session Total: 1,472,000 Seven: 1,140,000 (Metro 791,000 Regional 349,000) Fox 332,000
Second session Total: 1,600,000 Seven: 1,255,000 (Metro 880,000 Regional 375,000) Fox 345,000
Third session Total: 1,833,000 Seven: 1,462,000 (Metro 994,000 Regional 468,000) Fox 371,000
Day Two Melbourne (Monday)
Seven and Fox Cricket
First session Total: 1,229,000 Seven: 915,000 (Metro 618,000 Regional 297,000) Fox: 314,000
Second session Total: 1,471,000 Seven: 1,111,000 (Metro 762,000 Regional 349,000) Fox: 360,000
Third session Total: 1,752,000 Seven: 1,339,000 (Metro 897,000 Regional 442,000) Fox: 413,000
Day Three Melbourne (Tuesday)
Seven and Fox Cricket
First session Total: 1,329,000 Seven: 1,014,000 (Metro 685,000 Regional 329,000) Fox: 315,000
The best of the rest non-sport on Tuesday included:
Seven: News 851,000/852,000
Nine: News 785,000/775,000, A Current Affair 612,000, Travel Guides 413,000
10: Dog House Australia 330,000, The Project 7pm 272,000, 10 News First 322,000
ABC: News 552,000,
SBS: Titanic 160,000
Tuesday TV ratings Metro primetime shares primary/network
ABC 8.4% (14.5%)
Seven 19.6% (29.0%)
Nine 18.7% (29.8%)
10 11.0% (16.8%)
SBS 5.6% (10.0%)
See also: Day 3, Second Test
Tuesday TV ratings Metro top 20 all people
| 1 | SEVEN NEWS AT 6.30 | Channel 7 | 852,000 |
| 2 | SEVEN NEWS | Channel 7 | 851,000 |
| 3 | NINE NEWS | Channel 9 | 785,000 |
| 4 | NINE NEWS 6:30 | Channel 9 | 775,000 |
| 5 | SEVEN’S CRICKET: THIRD TEST – THE ASHES D3 S1 | Channel 7 | 685,000 |
| 6 | A CURRENT AFFAIR | Channel 9 | 612,000 |
| 7 | ABC NEWS | ABC TV | 552,000 |
| 8 | TRAVEL GUIDES (R) | Channel 9 | 413,000 |
| 9 | HOT SEAT | Channel 9 | 366,000 |
| 10 | THE DOG HOUSE AUSTRALIA (R) | Channel 10 | 330,000 |
| 11 | SEVEN’S CRICKET: BIG BASH LEAGUE – SYD THUN V PERTH | 7mate, Channel 7 | 328,000 |
| 12 | SEVEN’S CRICKET: THIRD TEST – THE ASHES D3 LUNCH | Channel 7 | 323,000 |
| 13 | 10 NEWS FIRST | Channel 10 | 322,000 |
| 14 | TIPPING POINT | Channel 9 | 299,000 |
| 15 | NINE’S AFTERNOON NEWS | Channel 9 | 293,000 |
| 16 | THE PROJECT 7PM | Channel 10 | 272,000 |
| 17 | SEVEN’S CRICKET: THIRD TEST – THE ASHES D3 PRE GAME | 7mate, Channel 7 | 266,000 |
| 18 | HOT SEAT 5PM | Channel 9 | 241,000 |
| 19 | NCIS | Channel 10 | 230,000 |
| 20 | SEVEN’S CRICKET: THIRD TEST – THE ASHES D3 S3 | Channel 7 | 219,000 |
Other Tuesday Sport
Cricket: Big Bash League
Sydney Thunder v Perth Scorchers
Seven: 560,000 (Metro 328,000 Regional 232,000)
Fox Cricket: 134,000/134,000 (1st and 2nd innings)