Worrying Scenes For ECB As Hundred Viewership Drops Significantly Amid Investment Interests

The Hundred It has been the England and Wales Cricket BoardThe magazine’s pioneering project. The 2024 edition was the fourth edition of Hundred magazine and it seems to have caught people’s interest over time.

But this year it seems that has not been the case. Data shows that viewership has suffered a drastic drop compared to last season, the Telegraph reports. According to the report, the men’s competition has seen a 28 per cent drop, while the women’s tournament has plummeted to 41 per cent.

On the BBC, audience figures were poor for the men’s tournament, with a 25 per cent drop, while the women’s edition recorded good numbers, only a two per cent drop.

The main reason for the drop in audiences is thought to have been the simultaneous broadcast of the Paris Olympics, which people might have preferred to the 100. But figures rose dramatically during the final, when the BBC recorded a peak audience of 1.3 million – far better than the 869,000 it achieved last year.

However, on both the BBC and Sky, the women’s final failed to generate enough viewers and viewership was down sharply compared to last year. ECBThe hope of attracting investors to buy stakes in Hundred franchises.

The reasons for the poor audiences reported by the Telegraph are: a shortage of English and top foreign cricketers, too many double-headers in one day, inconsistency in player recruitment and budget cuts.

London and Southampton have both seen good attendances. The Hundred’s digital presence has also improved slightly and the women’s competition has seen a higher turnout, leading to suggestions that this season could be an exception and that the original numbers will be restored once the competition returns next year under new ownership.