The second edition of the Rebel Women’s Big Bash League continues to prove to be a hit amongst fans as it reaches the business end of the competition.
Following a successful opening weekend in North Sydney in December, the Rebel WBBL has gone from strength to strength with more people attending and watching matches than ever before.
More than 24,000 fans turned out at the MCG for the New Year’s Day double-header Melbourne derby, nearly double last year’s corresponding match and smashing the previous attendance record of 14,611 between the Melbourne Renegades and Sydney Thunder in WBBL|01.
Saturday’s double-header Melbourne derby saw 13,000 fans enjoy the action in Etihad Stadium, while the Adelaide Strikers’ New Year’s Eve Clash with the Perth Scorchers was played in front of more than 5,000 fans at Adelaide Oval.
Cricket Australia’s significant investment into the streaming of 47 matches of Rebel WBBL|02, which when combined with the 12 matches being broadcast by Network Ten means that the whole WBBL|02 season is available for viewing live and in full, has already proven to be hugely popular amongst fans.
With 19 matches still to be played, more than 700,000 fans have tuned in to the Rebel WBBL|02 live stream via Facebook, cricket.com.au or the Cricket Australia Live app.
More remarkably, the live stream and on-demand highlights have been viewed by more than 4.6 million people, almost doubling the projected season total.
Meanwhile, Rebel WBBL|02 continues to be a popular choice amongst television audiences, with the average national audience of 275,000 up 19% on the season average of 231,000 for Rebel WBBL|01.
In just its second season, the Rebel WBBL continues to create a visible pathway for young girls to aspire to play for their Big Bash team and be like their role models, says Head of Big Bash, Anthony Everard.
“There is no doubt that the WBBL has delivered in providing opportunities for young girls to get involved in cricket and it’s a credit to all involved, including the players themselves who are tremendous role models.
“We’ve seen some incredible performances on the field this season and a number of youngsters have emerged, which is wonderful to see. There’s just three wins between first and last place on the ladder, so we’re bracing ourselves for an exciting last few rounds.
“The success of the WBBL is a great reward for the clubs, broadcasters, venues and Cricket Australia who have all gone above and beyond to make this competition what it is.”
Rebel WBBL|02 in numbers
| Highest attendance | 25,547 – Stars v Renegades |
| Total attendance to date (opening weekend and double-headers incl. non-broadcast) | 68,290
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| Average TV audience to date | 275,000 |
| Live stream views | 700,000 |
| Live stream + on-demand highlights | 4.6 million |
(This story is received from the source mentioned and may or may not have any editing involved.)