Matildas v Denmark sets television ratings record

They may be picking apart the opposition on the field, but the Matildas are proving to be equally formidable off it.

Riding a wave of public support and momentum, the Matildas’ win over Denmark on Monday night to advance to the quarter-finals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup was the highest-rating TV program of 2023.

The Matildas’ 2-0 victory drew a five-city metro audience of 2.294 million viewers on Seven, according to figures released by ratings agency OzTam.

That figure makes it the most watched broadcast event of the year, eclipsing State of Origin game one, which drew 1.98 million across five cities, and even bettering the 2022 AFL grand final, which captured a metro audience of 2.179 million.

The biggest number of viewers was in Sydney at 774,000. Melbourne recorded 666,000 people watching and Brisbane 347,000.

The Matildas played Denmark in front of more than 75,000 fans at Stadium Australia in Sydney Olympic Park, taking the lead through an early goal to Caitlin Foord, before Hayley Raso added a second in the second half.

Fans at home and in the stadium were also treated to the return of injured superstar Sam Kerr, who was substituted into the game after 80 minutes.

The return of Kerr is likely to boost both the Matildas and viewer interest, with the team set to play the winner of France vs Morocco this Saturday night in Brisbane.

Seven said the audience for the match peaked at 3.75 million viewers. Peak viewership refers to the maximum number of people watching in one minute during the broadcast.

The intense interest in the Matildas was also apparent both before and after kick-off; the FIFA Women’s World Cup Pre-Game Round 16 attracted an average audience of 1,040,000 (across five cities) while 906,000 also stayed on for the post-game program.

Considering these figures also do not include the viewers who watched the game on Optus Sport (Seven Sport and Optus Sport have been sharing broadcasts of the FIFA Women’s World Cup), the total number of viewers would be even higher.

The Matildas’ win over Denmark made history as the single most-watched broadcast event of the year but the smart money says that record will only last until Saturday night.

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