The big-spending Chinese ­Super League received more than 16.6 million online viewers in last weekend's first round, including 700,000 from overseas, new media broadcaster LeSports said Tuesday.

In a statement, LeSports also estimated that the total online audience for the 30-round league will reach 500 million due to rapid growth in the number of new media users.

Game attendance for the 16-team league has reached 26,500 per match, notwithstanding the postponement of a clash between old rivals Beijing Guoan and Tianjin Teda.

Top-flight clubs spent a total of $365 million for foreign players during an eye-catching winter transfer window, with Jiangsu Suning topping the spending list.

Suning's match against Shandong Luneng was the most popular first-round match online, with 4.85 million Web users watching the game via digital devices.