{"id":6478,"date":"2021-12-02T08:53:08","date_gmt":"2021-12-02T08:53:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/?p=6478"},"modified":"2022-11-18T17:38:12","modified_gmt":"2022-11-18T17:38:12","slug":"the-hundred-a-story-of-sporting-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/the-hundred-a-story-of-sporting-success\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hundred: a story of sporting success"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-first  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-1  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><div  style='padding-bottom:10px; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h2  blockquote modern-quote  avia-builder-el-2  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  thought-leadership-heading '><div class ='av-subheading av-subheading_above  ' style='font-size:15px;'><p>Thought Leadership<\/p>\n<\/div><h2 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >The Hundred: a story of sporting success<\/h2><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-3  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-4  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  av_inherit_color '  style='color:#80808a; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><h4><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\"><\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 9<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">MIN READ<\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock thought-leadership-author '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h3><strong>By Ben Marlow and Omar Chaudhuri<\/strong><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>December 2, 2021<\/h3>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<div  style='height:5px' class='hr hr-invisible   avia-builder-el-7  el_after_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-last '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-8  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><p><div  class='avia-image-container  av-styling-    avia-builder-el-9  el_before_av_hr  avia-builder-el-first  avia-align-center '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><div class='avia-image-overlay-wrap'><img decoding=\"async\" class='wp-image-7713 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-7713 avia_image' src=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1420536881-scaled.jpg\" alt='' title='Oval Invincibles Women v Southern Brave Women - The Hundred Final' height=\"1707\" width=\"2560\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1420536881-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1420536881-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1420536881-1030x687.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1420536881-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1420536881-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1420536881-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1420536881-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1420536881-705x470.jpg 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<div  style='height:5px' class='hr hr-invisible   avia-builder-el-10  el_after_av_image  avia-builder-el-last '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/p><\/div><div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-11  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><\/p>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-12  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock thought-leadership-share '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h3>Thought Leadership<\/h3>\n<p>Inspired by what you&#8217;re reading? Why not subscribe for regular insights delivered straight to your inbox.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<div  class='avia-button-wrap avia-button-left  avia-builder-el-14  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_textblock ' ><a href='https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/contact\/news-signup\/'  class='avia-button  avia-color-theme-color   avia-icon_select-no avia-size-small avia-position-left '   ><span class='avia_iconbox_title' >Subscribe<\/span><\/a><\/div><br \/>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><hr \/>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<div  class='av-social-sharing-box  avia-builder-el-16  el_after_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-last  '><div class='av-share-box'><h5 class='av-share-link-description av-no-toc '>Share this story<\/h5><ul class='av-share-box-list noLightbox'><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-facebook' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on Facebook\" href='https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/the-hundred-a-story-of-sporting-success\/&#038;t=The%20Hundred%3A%20a%20story%20of%20sporting%20success' aria-hidden='false' data-av_icon='\ue8f3' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on Facebook' rel=\"noopener\"><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on Facebook<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-twitter' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on Twitter\" href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=The%20Hundred%3A%20a%20story%20of%20sporting%20success&#038;url=https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/?p=6478' aria-hidden='false' data-av_icon='\ue8f1' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on Twitter' rel=\"noopener\"><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on Twitter<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-linkedin' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on LinkedIn\" href='https:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&#038;title=The%20Hundred%3A%20a%20story%20of%20sporting%20success&#038;url=https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/the-hundred-a-story-of-sporting-success\/' aria-hidden='false' data-av_icon='\ue8fc' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on LinkedIn' rel=\"noopener\"><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on LinkedIn<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-17  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock thought-leadership-main-content '  style='font-size:20px; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>In the world of competition structure, perhaps the biggest success story of the year was The Hundred, English cricket\u2019s attempt at enlivening its domestic product. It ultimately delivered on all the key elements that are required to deliver compelling sport: high-quality action with elite players, jeopardy with no outcome guaranteed, and connection that meant fans cared about the results.<\/p>\n<p>Cricket has historically been a sport for the traditionalists. The game\u2019s existing audience was secured when there were fewer forms of entertainment competing for their attention, meaning cricket\u2019s traditionally sedate pace was advantageous. No longer.<\/p>\n<p>The need for change arose from the desire (or necessity) to better serve a new, younger and more diverse audience who have found traditional forms of cricket increasingly unappealing. Post-mortems of The Hundred have generally been kind &#8211; rightfully &#8211; but have tended to focus on the razzmatazz of the marketing rather than the cricket itself.<\/p>\n<p>At Twenty First Group we recognise the need to effectively market competitions, but believe that success over the long term is ultimately dependent on the quality of the sporting product. In short, regardless of your commercial capabilities, the cricket itself still needs to be captivating. We assess sporting products against their ability to deliver high quality sport, moments of jeopardy and a connection to as wide an audience as possible. And while valid questions remain around The Hundred\u2019s role and impact in the wider ecosystem of English cricket, when assessed on its ability to deliver quality, jeopardy and connection to fans, it\u2019s clear from our analysis that The Hundred delivered.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-19  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-20  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-21  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><div  class='avia-image-container  av-styling-    avia-builder-el-22  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  avia-align-center '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><div class='avia-image-overlay-wrap'><img decoding=\"async\" class='wp-image-5831 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-5831 avia_image' src=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Chart-1-V3-Flywheel.gif\" alt='' title='Chart 1 V3 - Flywheel' height=\"1080\" width=\"1080\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"  \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-23  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-24  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-25  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock thought-leadership-main-content '  style='font-size:20px; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><strong>Quality<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Relative to other relevant benchmarks, The Hundred was a higher quality competition. According to our models, the quality of the men\u2019s batters and bowlers put the competition slightly behind the Indian Premier League and well clear of Australia\u2019s Big Bash. Much of this was due to there being fewer teams than, say, the existing T20 Blast and therefore a greater concentration of the best available talent. Bearing in mind there were a large number of notable international absentees, we\u2019d expect future editions to produce even higher quality cricket. This produced entertainment too, with fewer balls per boundary in the men\u2019s edition and fewer balls per wicket across both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s competition. High quality, action packed cricket.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-27  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-28  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-29  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><div  class='avia-image-container  av-styling-    avia-builder-el-30  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  avia-align-center '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><div class='avia-image-overlay-wrap'><img decoding=\"async\" class='wp-image-6479 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-6479 avia_image' src=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/100q.png\" alt='' title='100q' height=\"434\" width=\"716\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/100q.png 716w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/100q-300x182.png 300w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/100q-705x427.png 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 716px) 100vw, 716px\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-31  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-32  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-33  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock thought-leadership-main-content '  style='font-size:20px; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><strong>Jeopardy<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Quality alone is not enough &#8211; games need to keep fans on the edge of their seats and again The Hundred delivered. Games across The Hundred were more unpredictable than equivalent competitions. The draft system and shorter format combined to create competitive balance across both competitions producing closer matches. Matches across the Hundred went closer to the wire, meaning fans attending the match or watching on TV had a greater chance of seeing a nail-biter &#8211; there was both a lower proportion of balls bowled with the outcome effectively decided and a lower proportion of balls \u2018unbowled\u2019 across both competitions. The Hundred was both exciting and high quality.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-35  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-36  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-37  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><div  class='avia-image-container  av-styling-    avia-builder-el-38  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  avia-align-center '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><div class='avia-image-overlay-wrap'><img decoding=\"async\" class='wp-image-6489 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-6489 avia_image' src=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/100j-1.png\" alt='' title='100j' height=\"435\" width=\"716\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/100j-1.png 716w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/100j-1-300x182.png 300w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/100j-1-705x428.png 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 716px) 100vw, 716px\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-39  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-40  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-41  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock thought-leadership-main-content '  style='font-size:20px; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><strong>Connection<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The competition was as relevant as the cricket was impressive, meaning the Hundred also delivered around \u2018connection\u2019. A large number of young, diverse people have a natural affinity with the locations that were home to the city-based franchises. Placing the men\u2019s and women\u2019s competitions on an equal footing, utilising double-headers, and scheduling games at times convenient for families to attend live helped to cross-pollinate fans of either competition into being fans of both. And enlisting the participation of some of the world\u2019s most box-office players (even with the many absentees) on top of the best English players helped turn fans of individual players into fans of the competition. Utilising the reach of the BBC helped the competition connect with a wider audience &#8211; something that will bear fruit in rights values in future years, should these new fans be retained. Broadcasting matches every night also helped narratives develop, with fans able to follow all of the the performances of an emerging talent like Jake Lintott enabling them to develop stronger connection. This was reflected in the numbers &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.sportspromedia.com\/news\/the-hundred-tv-figures-viewership-sky-bbc-ecb-revenue-ticket-sales\/&amp;sa=D&amp;source=docs&amp;ust=1638361101417000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1OD2s8-DBj0JSEMFE9hbYW\">the 16.1m viewers that tuned in to the competition was more than watched the 2019 men\u2019s World Cup according to the ECB<\/a>. Likewise, the viewing figures for the men\u2019s and women\u2019s finals were viewed by 2.4m and 1.4m viewers respectively, comparable with even the biggest Premier League matches.<\/p>\n<p>The broadcast was also helped by the size of the crowd and the atmosphere in the stadium. Crowds in the men\u2019s competition also generally saw the home team win, helping them enjoy the games more and get behind their team. The Hundred was effective at fostering connection in a number of different ways which should be reflected in the popularity of future competitions.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-43  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-44  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-45  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><div  class='avia-image-container  av-styling-    avia-builder-el-46  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  avia-align-center '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><div class='avia-image-overlay-wrap'><img decoding=\"async\" class='wp-image-6481 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-6481 avia_image' src=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/100c.png\" alt='' title='100c' height=\"435\" width=\"716\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/100c.png 716w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/100c-300x182.png 300w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/100c-705x428.png 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 716px) 100vw, 716px\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-47  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-48  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-49  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock thought-leadership-main-content '  style='font-size:20px; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>While there are valid arguments about the competitions\u2019 role in the context of the wider cricket calendar, by most metrics the first edition of The Hundred has been a success. One argument is that the marketing focus is responsible &#8211; that throwing enough money at promotion will guarantee success. That may well be true in the short term. But Apple don\u2019t sell iPhones just because they market them well &#8211; they also have a market leading product.<\/p>\n<p><em>Of [The Hundred], there is one thing of which I am certain: if the sun shines, if the players are among the world\u2019s best, and if the results matter to them, then people will watch and enjoy. I hope the tournament appeals to an established as well as a new audience, but the game should have faith in itself: it is the sport, not the bits around the edges, that will win or lose the day.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>So said Mike Atherton writing for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetimes.co.uk\/article\/language-wont-determine-success-of-hundred-quality-of-cricket-will-3z5qq5s9p\">The Times<\/a> in the build up to the competition. Fortunately for the ECB, cricket prevailed. The Hundred\u2019s ability to deliver quality and jeopardy in the action and connection with a wide audience suggests that The Hundred will be demanding our attention for a long time to come.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-51  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_codeblock  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":7713,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[53,55,33],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Hundred: a story of sporting success - Twenty First Group Limited<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/the-hundred-a-story-of-sporting-success\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Hundred: a story of sporting success - 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