The Suncorp Super Netball 2023 season marked a milestone year, with Saturday night’s Grand Final celebrating a victorious win for the Adelaide Thunderbirds, who secured their first national league title in a decade after a heart-stopping 60-59 extra time triumph over the NSW Swifts.
The match, witnessed by a record-breaking crowd of 9,622 at Melbourne’s John Cain Arena, also attracted the largest audience ever on Foxtel, despite the competition from AFL, NRL and The Ashes.
This year’s season finale was a historic moment for the Suncorp Super Netball League era at the John Cain Arena, with this event recording the highest crowd attendance. Notably, the previous two weeks of finals also set new records in crowd attendance.
Broadcast exclusively by Fox Sports Australia on Foxtel and Kayo Sports, the season finale was the most viewed Suncorp Super Netball match in history, reporting a 14 per cent viewership rise compared to the 2022 Grand Final. Moreover, the match was available for streaming on Kayo Freebies and ranked as the second most streamed Suncorp Super Netball match.
The overall season saw a 10 per cent increase in viewership compared to the previous year, with a growth of nine per cent on Fox Sports on Foxtel, and an 11 per cent surge across Kayo Sports and Foxtel Go/Now streaming audiences. On a promising note, Kayo Minis viewership doubled, while the viewership for Kayo Freebies spiked by 18 per cent.
Internationally, Netball Australia TV had matches accessed in 144 countries, 23 more than in 2022, with a phenomenal 202 per cent viewership rise and a 274 per cent surge in the minutes watched.
In addition to the television and streaming successes, there was a noticeable 25 per cent rise in live attendance throughout the home and away season compared to 2022. Club memberships also experienced growth, with a 20 per cent rise across the eight Suncorp Super Netball clubs, resulting in 30,675 members.
“The seventh season of the Suncorp Super Netball season ended on a high note, and it captured the attention of fans in a way we’ve not seen before,”
said Netball Australia CEO, Kelly Ryan. She also praised the ongoing successful partnership with the Foxtel Group that helped to bring the game to life.
Kayo Sports Executive Director, Cate Hefele, highlighted the successful second year of partnership with Netball Australia and expressed her delight with the thrilling Grand Final.
“There was no more fitting way to cap an incredible season of Suncorp Super Netball than with Saturday night’s thrilling Grand Final between the Thunderbirds and Swifts,” Hefele said.
“We are passionate about continuing to grow the sport of netball and in the second year of our partnership with Netball Australia, we’ve worked hard to bring the league to even more Aussies through more matches on Kayo Freebies, innovation in broadcasting and world-class commentary and insights from the most talented and respected netball voices in the country.
“Fans were given unparalleled access to players, coaches and behind-the-scenes action on game days and via our weekly magazine shows Centre Circle, Pivot and The 4th Qtr and we’ve seen the renewed reach and engagement with fans reflected in the record viewership.”
The Foxtel Group will continue its netball coverage with the Netball World Cup in South Africa from 28 July – 6 August, followed by the Constellation Cup in October.
