Roy Morgan Research said the 40 days of Big Bash cricket, which started this week, attracts 3.1 million viewers.

The researcher’s automotive and media data shows that the prime-time broadcasts are an ideal vehicle for car-makers to reach eager, big-spending buyers.

“Roy Morgan’s latest automotive currency data estimates close to 570,000 Australians plan to buy a new car in 2017,” it said.

“Of that, 21 per cent say they ‘almost always’ watch Twenty20 cricket on television, compared with 16 per cent of all Australians aged 14 years and older.”

Roy Morgan said further investigation found that these dedicated Twenty20 viewers have an average budget of $43,000 for the next car, compared with $38,500 among new car buyers overall.

“All up, this means around 120,000 potential Big Bash viewers over the summer plan to buy a new car in 2017 at a value of $5.2 billion,” it said.

“This represents 24 per cent of all anticipated dollars to be spent by private buyers next year.

“Another 20 per cent of next year’s car market by dollar value will be spent by buyers who ‘occasionally’ tune in to watch some Twenty20 cricket on TV.

“Furthermore, an additional nine per cent of Twenty20 viewers during this season may not be looking to buy next year, but do expect to buy one before the year 2020.”

Roy Morgan said that compared to the average new car buyer in the market, Twenty20 fans are 28 per cent more likely to agree they would like a car that handles like a racing car; 23 per cent more likely to say they’ll only be buying a car that is fun to own; and 21 per cent more likely to regard themselves as a car enthusiast.

“Other attitudes that are more widely held among all potential Twenty20 viewers than other car buyers include their consideration of diesel vehicles, preferring a car with sex appeal that at least looks sporty, and has all the extras as standard,” the researcher said.

Roy Morgan Research CEO Michele Levine said Big Bash viewers were an important audience for car advertisers.

“Toyota, Jeep, BMW and Mazda all sponsor Big Bash teams, as does Carsales, delivering an immediate advantage to these brands among 120,000 viewers contemplating their new car in 2017,” she said.

“The research shows both an increased rate of imminent new car buying and higher anticipated spend among Twenty20 cricket viewers.

“For broadcaster Network Ten, it’s about discovering and pitching this high-value audience to automotive advertisers. For the advertisers, it’s then about understanding how to best engage these viewers and claim a share of their $5 billion in car expenditure next year.”

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source, October 2015 to September 2016. The sample was of 5500 Australians who intend to buy a new car in the next four years, including 588 who almost always or occasionally watch Twenty20 cricket on TV.

By Neil Dowling