The Ashes delivers big audience for Gem

Nine’s coverage of The Ashes on HD digital channel Gem delivered one of the biggest secondary channel audiences to date with an average metro audience of 627,000 tuning in for the first session despite reportedly missing the first ball.

(Update: An additional average audience of 428,000 watched the cricket on subscription channel Fox Sports 2.)

On a good night for the network, The Block was top show of the night on Nine, with 1.345m metro viewers.

In Melbourne, the Australian Rules veterans EJ Whitten Legends game also delivered a big audience for Nine, attracting the city’s fourth biggest audience of the night.