First Ashes Test achieves peak audience of 2.12m, highest ever recorded for a Test on Sky Sports; 15.6m page views on Sky Sports app and skysports.com; more than 20m views of Ashes content across Sky Sports social channels; watch every game of the Men's and Women's Ashes on Sky Sports
Wednesday 21 June 2023 16:00, UK
The opening fixture of the Ashes series brought Sky Sports its highest-ever viewing figures for a Test match, with a peak of 2.12m viewers at home.
An average audience of 1.17m tuned in on day five, with a combined average of 877k across all five days of the edge-of-your-seat Edgbaston classic, making it the most watched Ashes Test on Sky Sports ever, and beating the famous final Test in 2009 (717k).
The peak audience of 2.12m came on day five, when viewers saw Australia snatch a two-wicket victory over Ben Stokes' side on a closely contested final day.
Across digital platforms, the Sky Sports App had 11.7m page views vs 1.5m at the 2019 Ashes, with skysports.com recording 3.9m page views vs 2.7m in 2019.
Digital streaming of the action saw 1.8m views, and there were more than 20m views of Ashes content across Sky Sports' social channels.
The record-breaking figures come following a period of significant momentum in the build up to this series, as fans enjoy a new era of England's approach to play.
Sky Sports managing director Jonathan Licht said: "Great to see such a thrilling start to the Ashes series, and to see that millions of fans are enjoying cricket content across the board. Equally we're delighted to see so many young fans engage across so many of our digital channels.
"We have a fantastic opportunity with both the men's and women's sides who are playing some of the most entertaining cricket in recent memory, and our Sky Sports teams will continue to deliver all of the action throughout the series, via our exclusive coverage and unparalleled commentary team.
"The Women's Test gets under way on Thursday at Trent Bridge, where we are set and excited to see fans get behind England's campaign against a fierce Australian team. As the long-term broadcast partner with England Cricket, we are proud to tell the Ashes story and continue to support the growth of both the men's and women's game this series and beyond."
Tony Singh, chief commercial officer at the ECB said: "This first Men's Test kept us all on the edge of our seats and showed the thrills of Test cricket at its best.
"It's great to see the excitement it's generated across the country, whether it was the sell-out crowds inside Edgbaston or the millions watching on TV, online or listening. With Sky's coverage consistently world-beating it's no wonder it's made a record-breaking start to the series, and with the Metro Bank Women's Ashes beginning tomorrow, and another four Men's Tests to come, there is a massive summer of cricket still to come."
Stokes and Pat Cummins' sides delivered one of the most entertaining and undoubtedly iconic opening Test battles in Ashes history, setting up an exciting series for fans to continue to follow.
The series continues this week, with all men's and women's fixtures live exclusively on Sky Sports and NOW.
