The remaining four weeks of the 2009 ANZ Championship season including the finals series will now be viewed by more Australians, with ONE available to regional viewers in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and the ACT from Thursday July 2.

 

Macquarie Southern Cross Media (MSCM) has announced that high definition television will be available to regional viewers of Southern Cross Ten, who currently receive the high definition (HD) subject to digital coverage.

 

ANZ Championship General Manager Anthony Everard is delighted by the development that will bring the action and excitement of the trans-Tasman competition into thousands more homes across Australia.

 

“The launch of ONE on a high definition platform in these markets in regional Australia is a fantastic development, ensuring that the ANZ Championship can be enjoyed by even more sports fans,” Everard explained.

 

The news comes on the back of a dramatic increase in the television audiences for the 2009 ANZ Championship which has been highlighted by Sunday afternoon netball live on Channel TEN and simulcast on ONE.

 

“On Sunday afternoon we averaging well over 200,000 viewers and often peaking at over 300,000,” Everard said.

 

“We are also thrilled by the Monday night games on ONE which are often peaking over 120,000 with these figures to only improve with the latest announcements.”

 

The success of the 2009 ANZ Championship season has also been reflected through the gate numbers with strong crowds in all of the markets across both Australia and New Zealand.

 

“We are really pleased with our crowd numbers also; the competition would not succeed without the support of our fans that continue to attend and sell out the matches at most venues.”

 

With the 2009 season on the home stretch, the race to the finals is on in earnest with seven teams still in contention for a top four finish. The next two weeks will also see some exciting new initiatives such as Netball’s Festival of Stars match to be played on Sunday 21 June in Sydney, and the inaugural Rivalry Round taking place across Round 13.

 

For more information go to www.anz-championship.com