MSL 2018: League attracts TV audience in excess of 3.4 million on opening weekend

Monday, 26 November 2018: The Mzansi Super League (MSL) announced itself in emphatic fashion when it attracted a live TV audience in excess of 3.4-million viewers from the four T20 matches played over the opening weekend.

The Sports Audience Analysis carried out independently by Nielsen Sport revealed that a unique audience of 3 418 594 viewed the four matches. The top figure of 1 665 546 unique viewers was recorded for the Saturday night fixture between the Jozi Stars and Nelson Mandela Bay Giants with all 4 matches going beyond the 1.3-million mark.

“This fully justifies our decision to take the SABC on board as our domestic host broadcast partner,” commented Cricket South Africa (CSA) Chief Executive Thabang Moroe. “This is truly a product for the people and has helped us achieve one of our key objectives not just to attract traditional cricket fans but to open up a new market as well.

“It is a win-win situation for all our stakeholders whether they be administrators, players, coaches, fans or our commercial partners.

“The MSL can only go from strength to strength as it will continue to grow while establishing itself alongside various T20 leagues around the world,” concluded Mr. Moroe.

Nielsen Viewership Figures

NOTES:

- 5 minutes consecutive viewing. The viewer is counted once he/ she consecutively watched 5 minutes of the broadcast.

- Market: National. % Audience share will be calculated against the total available viewing population who were watching.

- Viewing activity: Live + VOSDAL. This includes all viewers who watched the live broadcast as well as viewers who recorded and watched the game on the same day.

- 3 418 594 unique viewers watched live TV coverage of the four T20s to date.

- The second T20 (17/11) reached the highest unique audience at 1 665 546 unique viewers.

- The three T20s after the opening match added an additional 2 056 841 unique viewers. This illustrates the capacity of the T20s to increase the unique audience.