Incease of 14% on the 15.6m who watched in 2019

Ben Stokes

The Ashes saw 17.8 million tune in over the men’s and women’s series this summer, an increase of 14% on the 15.6 million in 2019. 

This includes the highlights shows on the BBC as well as the live coverage on Sky Sports. The series broke several records for Sky Sports during June and July, including the most watched test match on the pay-TV broadcaster, the highest ever audience for a women’s international T20, and the highest peak for the women’s Ashes.

Overall, Sky’s average viewership was nearly 50% up on 2019 for the Men’s series, and there were over 609 million video views through the ECB’s digital channels. In addition, the average viewer watched nine hours 51 minutes of the series, a third higher than in 2019.

Off the back of this, the opening match of the third season of The Hundred on the BBC and Sky Sports saw an average audience of 927,000 for the men’s game and 473,000 for the women’s fixture. The men’s audience peaked at 1.49m, while the women’s peak was 787,000. 

There is pressure on The Hundred to succeed, after its second season audience numbers saw a drop of two million on its inaugural year. Sky head of cricket and NFL Bryan Henderson told the Broadcast Sport Podcast that Sky continues to back the competition earlier this summer.

ECB CEO Richard Gould said of the summer to date: “The 2023 summer will go down as one of the most enthralling we’ve seen. The Ashes has captivated the public imagination once again, but this time it has been different, with the Women’s and Men’s series taking equal billing and fans being treated to some stunning cricket throughout. Although both series were drawn, we have been able to enjoy double white-ball series wins for the Women’s team and a Men’s team who have changed Test cricket, ‘walking the walk’ as Ben Stokes has said, and getting so close to staging the most remarkable comeback.

“Fans up and down the country have responded to support the players, breaking attendance and viewing figures along the way. 110,000 attended the Women’s Metro Bank Ashes – 4.5 times more fans than in 2019, with sell-out crowds, something also seen in the Men’s series. On TV and online, we have again seen incredible interest, demonstrating that the love for cricket in England and Wales is as strong as ever, and that Test cricket is still as relevant as ever.

“We are fortunate that we have such wonderful support for the national side, which will undoubtedly continue as we look forward to more international cricket later this summer with England Men hosting New Zealand and Ireland before the World Cup, and England Women welcoming Sri Lanka. It’s also fantastic to see such a strong start to The Hundred, with strong ticket sales and fantastic viewing figures for the opening games.

“With the Metro Bank One Day Cup, the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and the LV= Insurance County Championship also still being fought out, there is much more cricket for fans to enjoy in the next couple of months.”