Early viewership numbers from the 2024 Australian Open have started streaming down on the internet, with American broadcaster ESPN releasing its figures from the semifinal.
Undoubtedly, the biggest match of the tournament, bar the final, was Novak Djokovic's confrontation with Jannik Sinner in the semis, which took place on Friday afternoon Melbourne time on January 26th. It was billed as the match the world wanted to see.
And the numbers prove that was the case. It was the most-watched Australian Open men's semifinal in a decade on ESPN. An average of 760,000 watched the live telecast. It ranked in the second spot among the most-watched semifinals at Melbourne Park on the same channel.
The top spot belonged to Rafael Nadal's clash against Rodger Federer in 2014 when a peak audience of 845,000 tuned in to watch the Spaniard win in straight sets.
The 760,000 viewers who watched Sinner dethrone Djokovic as Australian Open champion is already an increment of 79% from the comparable window last year. Only 420,000 watched the first of the men's semifinals in 2023.
Moreover, this year's number is also markedly better than in 2022, when 590,000 tuned in to watch. Details on the second semifinal between Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev will be released on Monday, January 29th.
The women's semifinals meanwhile clocked an average of 317,000 viewers and ranked as the most watched Australian Open women's semifinal since the format turned to 3:30 am American time in 2022. Viewership of this year's semifinal was up at least 15% from last year when 275,000 watched.
However, the 317,000 number is still not ESPN's all-time high, as that record was set in 2021 when Serena Williams played Naomi Osaka in primetime. That match was watched by a live peak audience of 846,000 in the USA on ESPN2.
Additional details of the women's and men's finals will also be available in the coming days.
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