Yesterday’s Hyundai A-League Grand Final has delivered the sport that has captivated the nation a television ratings record with 296,000 people tuning in.
Yesterday-s Hyundai A-League Grand Final has delivered the sport that has captivated the nation a television ratings record with 296,000 people tuning in to see Central Coast triumph over Western Sydney.
One of the most anticipated contests of the year, with one team aiming to pull off the unthinkable by taking out the title in their inaugural year and an opponent desperate to break their Grand Final hoodoo, has become the most watched A-League match in history.
FOX SPORTS- LIVE coverage of the decider surpassed the previous record, the 2007 Grand Final between Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United by 14,000 viewers, and smashed last year-s Grand Final average audience by 38 per cent.
The finale was the perfect ending to the Hyundai A-League season which has seen unprecedented interest in the sport, achieving record crowd attendances and television ratings.
FOX SPORTS CEO Patrick Delany said: “Yesterday we witnessed an incredible ending to what has been one of the most remarkable sporting stories of the year.
“Never before has there been so much interest in football in Australia and FOX SPORTS has been there every step of the way with live and exclusive coverage of every Hyundai A-League match.
“At the beginning of the season the headlines were all about marquee signings which no doubt helped raise the league-s profile and crowd attendance but, the real story at the end of the day, was the emergence of quality teams and contests that captivated fans.
“This season was the most watched season in the competition-s history with more than 2.8 million viewers tuning in to FOX SPORTS- live coverage with average audiences up 23 per cent on last year.
“With over 33 weeks of prime time coverage, the Hyundai A-League is emerging as a real gem for us in summer and has well and truly cemented itself in the Australian sporting fabric,” Mr Delany concluded.