MELBOURNE, January 28, 2026: Huge viewership numbers and increased year-on-year attendances have confirmed the Big Bash League’s status as one of the biggest and most popular T20 Leagues in world cricket.
Sunday’s (January 25, 2026) KFC BBL|15 Final was played in front of a sold out, parochial crowd of 55,018, a record cricket attendance at Optus Stadium. The interim average audience for Sunday’s Final of 1.45 million made it the fifth highest rating BBL match of all time and the thirteenth match of the season to average more than one million viewers.
The BBL|15 Finals series was the highest-rating Finals series in the simulcast era (averaging 1.19m per Finals match) and the highest average Finals audience since BBL|07.With interim viewership, attendance and digital engagement data from the Finals now available, the League is proud to confirm further record-breaking results from a memorable season.
Viewership
Thirteen matches averaged over one million viewers this season, the most in a season since BBL|08.
Across the 44-game season, the BBL confirmed its status as Australia’s most watched sports league on a per game basis. Average audiences in BBL|15 grew 5% year-on-year to 807,000 viewers nationally per match, a record under the Seven and Foxtel broadcast era.
Primetime simulcast matches (broadcast on Seven, 7plus, Foxtel and Kayo Sports) drew average audiences of 986,000 per game, headlined by the Final which averaged 1.45m.
The BBL|15 Finals Series drew an interim average audience of 1.19 million per game, the highest ever for a Finals series of four or more games and of any length since BBL|07.
This ensured BBL|15 delivered Seven its highest average audience per match since BBL|08, and Foxtel Group its most-watched season ever. Collectively, this was the most-watched BBL season under the current rights holders.
*Figures from the match between the Perth Scorchers and Sydney Sixers on Sunday, December 14 have been omitted from average audience calculations given the national breaking news coverage of the Bondi terrorist attack
Attendance
BBL|15’s 44 matches drew a total attendance of 1,089,043, growing 12% year-on-year and the biggest total since BBL|09 (with 17 less games).
The average attendance of 24,751 was the highest per match since BBL|07 and is the second highest among Australian sports leagues.
The Finals Series drew 125,366 fans, an average of 31,342 per game, the third highest ever and the most since BBL|07.
During the Finals series, the season’s one millionth fan attended The Knockout at Ninja Stadium.
Digital engagement
Across the five-week BBL|15 season, the League added 1.2 million new social media followers, driven by more than 1.5 billion content impressions and delivering a 115% increase on the previous season.
The Big Bash app continued to deliver unique and engaging fan experiences during BBL|15, with over 140,000 downloads contributing to a 23% increase in sessions and a 39% lift in users.
The app has consistently ranked as the number one sports app in Australia across both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Alistair Dobson, Cricket Australia’s Executive General Manager, Big Bash Leagues, said:
“KFC BBL|15 has been another record-breaking season, capped off by another incredible performance by the Perth Scorchers as they claimed a record sixth Big Bash League title.
“The broadcast and attendance numbers from The Finals series and season at large confirm the BBL as one of the biggest and most popular T20 Leagues in world cricket.
“We are delighted with the quality of cricket produced by so many outstanding players, which has resonated with fans who have watched and attended in record numbers around the country.
“Alongside congratulating the Scorchers, the League would like to thank all clubs, players, broadcasters, partners and venues for delivering a world class KFC BBL|15 season.”
