Jarryd Hayne's Regular-Season Debut Trumps Super Bowl Ratings In Australia

While "minuscule viewership numbers" compared with the U.S., Jarryd Hayne’s NFL regular-season debut with the San Francisco 49ers "drew a higher television audience in Australia than the Super Bowl," according to the Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH. Hayne’s debut against the Vikings -- which the 49ers won 20-3 -- "drew a television audience on ESPN of 116,000, topping the record mark of 107,100 for this year’s Super Bowl." ESPN is only available on pay-TV in Australia. Hayne’s "first touch of the ball was a fumble and turnover to the Minnesota Vikings." Hayne: "I did a similar thing in Origin in my debut game." In fact, Hayne’s debut -- and the weeklong mystery of whether he would or wouldn’t play -- "ranked as one of the top daily sports stories Down Under" (DAILY TELEGRPH, 9/16).