Interest in Test cricket strong

The afternoon session of the fifth day of the first National Bank Test between the BLACKCAPS and England in Hamilton attracted 35% of all television viewers aged five and over, according to AGB Nielsen Media Research.

The numbers watching the cricket were enhanced by Sky’s free-to-air broadcast of the Test on Prime TV, with an average of 73,500 people tuning into Prime during the second innings of the match.

“These are fantastic numbers to have viewing Test cricket,” New Zealand Cricket CEO Justin Vaughan said.

“Coupled with 23,000 people attending that match, a crowd of 7,784 at the Basin Reserve yesterday and ball-by-ball coverage on Radio Sport, it is clear that interest in Test cricket is as at a real high.

“Additionally, our website, BLACKCAPS.co.nz, achieved 4.125million page impressions during the week of the Test match, with over 28,000 unique browsers taking advantage of our live scoring facility to follow the game.

“I expect to see this interest increase as we move towards the end of The National Bank Series and Stephen Fleming’s final Test match at Napier,” he said.