by Thinus Ferreira
South African cricket-watching ratings for the season opener broadcast of the third season of the Betway SA20 tournament in South Africa is up 129% compared to last year.
This makes the Betway SA20 opening match viewership on 9 January 2025 the second-highest recorded live opening fixture in this summer season of cricket on MultiChoice's SuperSport.
The opening match viewership numbers
significantly exceeded previous records from the first and second season, with the
opener between the defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape and MI Cape Town
drawing a record total live unique audience of 382 778 viewers on SuperSport.
That represents a 129% increase from the second season.
The ratings for the opener places the match just behind the T20I series between
the Proteas and India, with the league also exceeding the viewership of the IPL
and Big Bash games in the South African market.
The opening week has also seen record attendance numbers,
with 4 sold-out opening matches and a 79% attendance rate across the
rain-interrupted opening 6 matches.
"We've worked
hard to establish the league as a property that appeals to viewers at home and
those who come to the stadium and these numbers give us the confidence that we
are on the right track to keep building on a strong foundation," says Graeme Smith, league commissioner, in a statement.
"The collective support of our franchises, SuperSport and the fans has played a key
role in our success and over the next 3 weeks of the tournament we will
continue to work together to deliver something special for the fans."
Supersport and the league are increasing the viewership of the Betway SA20 tournament by making certain matches available to lower-tiered DStv subscribers who now get access to certain matches on the DStv Access package that has the SuperSport Variety 4 channel.
"The strong viewership numbers are a testament to the league's growing popularity and the exceptional work of SuperSport and the League. This is fantastic news for their sponsors and a clear indication that the league is transforming the appeal of domestic cricket in South Africa," says Tumelo Selikane, Nielsen Sports SA managing director.
