Jarryd Hayne’s NFL regular-season debut for the San Francisco 49ers drew a television audience of 116,000 for ESPN in Australia, topping last season’s record mark of 107,100 for the Super Bowl XLVIII.
Monday’s match against the Minnesota Vikings was broadcast live at 12.15pm and was the biggest audience ever for the sports network, according to media, marketing and entertainment website Mumbrella.
The news is also set to please the Seven Network which last week secured the rights to broadcast 14 of the 49ers’ regular season matches.