Matildas smash ceiling as total TV audience soars past 11m
The Matildas may not have won on the scoreboard on Wednesday night, but they have gone down in history for smashing audience records that have lasted two decades.
More than 7 million Australians tuned in on free-to-air TV to watch their game, hitting the figure for the first time since the current ratings system began. Over the 90 minutes of play, 11.15 million Australians tuned in – more than 43 per cent of the population.
The Matildas went down 3-1 to England in an intense semi-final in the FIFA Women’s World Cup on Wednesday.
Preliminary ratings figures released by OzTAM and the Seven Network show there were 4.5 million people watching in major cities, 1.67 million in regional Australia and 957,000 people watching on the 7plus app.
Combined, the average audience was 7.13 million – and does not include the hundreds of thousands of people watching through Optus Sport, or in stadiums, pubs and live sites across the country.
Two late goals from England put the Matildas behind despite a heroic, long-range solo goal from Australian captain Sam Kerr. The crowd of 75,784 in Sydney erupted in the 63rd minute when Kerr equalised.
Once again, the Matildas demonstrated they had a hold over Australian audiences unmatched in the past two decades. Their campaign in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, which has been held in Australia and New Zealand, has steadily grown since the tournament began on July 20.
Their audience was 4.9 million on average against France, reached 3.63 million in the match against Denmark, 2.4 million against Canada and 1.93 against Ireland.
The current ratings system, run by OzTAM, began in 2001. Before that, ratings were compiled by AC Neilsen, which reported an audience of 8.8 million for Cathy Freeman’s gold
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