Big Bash helps Ten beat Seven but Steve Smith’s first test innings as captain hands Nine the win

Last night’s start of the T20 Big Bash League saw 681,000 metro viewers tune in for session one of the match between the Adelaide Strikers and the Melbourne Stars, helping Ten to beat Seven’s with an audience share of 16.4 per cent to 15.2 per cent.

However the short-form of the game did not prove as popular as the five day format with Nine getting 803,000 viewers for the evening session of the second test between Australia and India, as new captain Steve Smith helped steady his team’s batting.

That was the most watched non-news show of the day and helped give Nine the audience share win with the channel securing a share of 19.1 per cent, while the ABC settled for a share of 10.8 per cent.

A truncated session two of the Big Bash, with the Striker easily toppling the Stars’ target, grabbed an audience of 683,000 while the post-game coverage was watched by 380,000. Session one was the most watched show across the 16-39 and 18-49 demographics.