The World Netball governing body has announced that netball competition at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games drew a global broadcast audience of over 40 million.
Total viewership of 40.5 million was tracked across the 35 global markets in which Commonwealth Games netball was aired.
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Coverage comprised 8,207 broadcast hours in all, four times what was presented at the 2022 edition, despite the scaled-down nature of the 2026 event.
Perhaps the strongest growth was recorded in Asia, India in particular, where viewership more than doubled (107% increase) compared to the 2022 edition.
With India set to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, increasing viewership interest in netball will be a positive indicator of local interest.
Total reach, defined as the total between broadcast and social media content, was over 55 million.
The Glasgow 2026 organizers also confirmed that netball was the best ticketed sport at the Games, with 122,972 tickets issued across the span of the event for netball competition.
On the success, World Netball president Liz Nicholl said: “The Commonwealth Games is a key part of the World Netball international event calendar as it helps us showcase our world-class sport to new global audiences.
“It is fantastic to see we have once again achieved our goal of reaching more people, more often, and broken records on our own digital channels.
The strongest market for netball during the games was, perhaps predictably, Australia, netball’s biggest market, where 10 million watched coverage on the free-to-air Seven network.
High viewership in Australia came despite the much-fancied Australian national team falling in the semi-finals to fourth-ranked Jamaica, a shock defeat that marked the first time in history Australia had failed to make the final.
That last figure in particular is good news for World Netball, which will host the next edition of its quadrennial Netball World Cup tournament next year in Sydney, Australia, from August 25 to September 5.
Ahead of the upcoming edition, Netball Australia has ramped up the tournament’s commercial partnerships, most recently adding travel and events company Quint Australia to its list of sponsors.
Australian partnerships agency Rife was named the exclusive sponsorship sales agency for the flagship event, with the firm working to secure up to four top-tier premier partners, four official partners, and eight tournament supporters.
In March, Australian apparel firm Special Event Merchandising was appointed the official licensing and retail supplier for the tournament, with the company tasked with designing and developing the official NWC2027 merchandise range, overseeing the selection and management of licensees and retailers, operating the sale and distribution of products, as well as managing an online store and merchandise outlets during the tournament.
On the media rights side, in April, Australia’s commercial broadcaster Nine Network has landed a five-year partnership with the Netball Australia governing body for exclusive rights to air a swathe of competitions, including the 2027 Netball World Cup.
