Private ownership has shifted the Hundred's success metric from participation to attendance

The first season under private ownership recorded lower attendances than 2025 at several venues, according to BBC Sport data covering both men's and women's matches.

Revenue now rests more on ticket sales and commercial deals than on participation or broadcast reach. Teams that once spent on grassroots work are moving money into match-day packages aimed at paying fans.

Some grounds sold more premium seats while general admission fell, exposing the gap between the ECB's original growth goal and the new owners' commercial targets.