South Africa’s third attempt at a sustainable local T20 cricket competition finally hit the mark. That’s the word from Nielsen Sports, which has released a research report into the inaugural Betway SA20 tournament.
Nielsen Sports says its South African and global linear television viewership analysis and on-site fan data collection backs up this assertion.
Key findings include:
- 914 315 ‘unique viewers’ watched the live broadcast of the 33 Betway SA20 games
- The average unique audience was 314% higher when compared with the CSA T20 Challenge and 433% higher than the CSA T20 Provincial Cup
- In comparative terms and on a per-game average, the Betway SA20 final viewership was 51% higher when compared with the Springboks in 2022 and 286% higher than the 2022 Currie Cup final
- The quality of the cricket was a very important factor for fans, ranking higher than all other elements of the event
“This data just supports the notion that the Betway SA20 was an unqualified success, particularly for a sports product in its first year,” said Jean Willers, managing director of Nielsen Sports South Africa. “The expectation is that these numbers will grow in year two.”
Willers says Nielsen Sports also conducted fan research at DP World Wanderers Stadium and SuperSport Park during the semi-finals and final. This included fan demographics; how they became aware of the Betway SA20; where they watched and with whom; what they enjoyed; when and how they bought tickets; consumption; and what teams they supported.
“This really does give us a sense of how this cricket product ‘landed’ with fans in its first year and what was promised in the marketing campaigns matched the product delivered at the stadiums,” says Willers. “We anticipate that this data will play a role in helping all the major rights-holders in the South African sports industry put together successful events.”
Other research findings include the fact that television was the predominant awareness driver for the Betway SA20, with ‘close-to-home’ communication channels such as word of mouth and friends and family social media posts making a significant contribution, in terms of spreading the news about the tournament.
Interested parties who would like to receive the full Betway SA20 research report or would like to know more about it, can contact Nwabisa Bhayi or Van Zyl Jacobs.
