Last night’s clash between Melbourne Victory and Western Sydney Wanderers recorded an average combined metro and regional audience of 280,000 (215,000 metro and 65,000 regional).

Last night's MVFC v WSW game on SBS ONE was watched by 647,000 viewers. Average audience was 280,000. Fabulous. — Les Murray (@lesmurraySBS) October 10, 2014

Coverage of the live match achieved a metro free-to-air share of 6.1% for total individuals, with a 16.6% share in the key demographic Men 16 – 39. It was also ranked the 8th metro program of the night for Men 16 – 39.

SBS Managing Director Michael Ebeid said: “SBS has a reputation for delivering sport which brings Australians together and this shift to SBS ONE is part of our commitment to growing the game, capitalising on the momentum from our exceptional World Cup success and further cementing our position as the home of football.”

Ken Shipp, SBS Director of Sport said: “The start of a football season is always filled with anticipation and last night’s opening match definitely delivered, with an incredibly strong start to the 2014-2015 season on SBS ONE. It’s exciting to see our domestic football competition flourish on free-to-air television.”

The A-League coverage continues live and free-to-air on SBS ONE from 7.30pm next Friday 17 October as Adelaide United takes on Melbourne Victory.