The Hundred 2024 Viewership Declines, Raising Questions on Cricket's Dependence on BCCI: REPORTS

By 17 runs, the Oval Invincibles won the Men's Hundred final match against the Southern Brave at Lord's on August 18, 2024. Starting first, the Invincibles scored 147/9 in their 100-ball innings, with Will Jacks top-scoring with 37 runs. In response, despite Alex Davies's strong 35 runs, the Southern Brave could only score 130/7. While Sam Curran was voted Player of the Series for his all-round efforts, Saqib Mahmood's remarkable bowling performance—claiming 3 wickets for just 17 runs—earned him the Player of the Match trophy. The Oval Invincibles emerged as the champions at the 2024 The Hundred Men's Competition, therefore concluding it.

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The Hundred 2024's viewership drastically drops from the previous years: Reports  

Viewership for the men's and women's editions of The Hundred 2024 has dropped noticeably from the 2023 season. The men's event's Sky Sports viewership dropped by 28 percent; the women's tournament saw a more significant dip of 41 percent.

The BBC found similar patterns; the men's edition's viewership dropped 25 percent, while the women's numbers stayed very constant compared to previous year. Furthermore, despite predictions for increase following three years of the 100-ball system, the peak viewing for both finals also dropped.

The Telegraph mostly reasons the concurrent 2024 Paris Olympics for the drop in viewing. Furthermore, there is a growing belief that The Hundred's early years are stagnating and may gain from fresh investment and rejuvenation.

Some problems on the pitch have also drawn criticism for the 2024 edition of The Hundred. Low scoring in the competition was caused by exhausted pitches and too aggressive swing early in the games, so producing a generally disappointing experience. Franchise owners and players both have expressed worries about these issues.

The Hundred's investment chances may suffer from the declining viewership since the drop in numbers occurs at a crucial period when the event must draw in sponsors. This decline, meanwhile, might only be a passing blow. Investors still show interest, and constant questions about acquiring interests in the competition reflect this.

According to reports, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is managing over 200 expressions of interest from people wishing to make The Hundred investments. Furthermore, there are speculations that the Mumbai Indians (MI) group is looking to acquire the London Spirit in line with their worldwide development plan. The MI group already holds MLC, ILT20, and SA20 franchises.