The It Crowd Streaming Australia

[Carin Mita]

Thebroadcast on Seven was viewed by a national \\u2018Total TV\\u2019 audience of 4.904 million Australians according to VOZ figures, ratings agency OzTAM\\u2019s new measurement system. Released on Sunday afternoon, the figure includes a metro audience of 3.044 million, a regional audience of 1.262 million and a streaming audience of 598,000.

While data was not tracked at the time by OzTAM, Cathy Freeman\\u2019s 400-metre final at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 is reported to have attracted 8.8 million television viewers, making it the most-watched Australian sporting event.

Saturday night\\u2019s quarter-final, played in front of a packed Brisbane crowd, ended in a stalemate after 90 minutes and extra time, going on to break another record: the longest-ever penalty shootout in both women\\u2019s and men\\u2019s World Cup history .

The fanfare around the Matildas reached new highs this week, the AFL and NRL agreeing to air Optus Sport live streams in stadiums before and after Saturday\\u2019s fixtures, with crowds in stadiums continuing to watch the coverage as the of a Melbourne and Carlton clash at the MCG.

An earlier version of this story said the Matildas\\u2019 win was the largest television audience for a live sporting event since Cathy Freeman\\u2019s legendary win at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. The story has been updated to reflect that Lleyton Hewitt\\u2019s 2005 Australian Open final loss had higher viewership than the Matildas game.\\u00A0

3a8082e126