AFL Grand Final 2023 TV ratings: More than four million people tuned in for Collingwood-Brisbane epic

Collingwood’s nail-biting win over Brisbane in front of a sold out MCG is being dubbed one of the best grand finals ever. So, how many people tuned in on TV?

Collingwood’s nail-biting four-point victory over Brisbane delivered a boost of more than 22 per cent in television ratings as more than four million people tuned in for what has been dubbed one of the best grand finals ever.

The game, which was live on Seven, delivered an average total national audience of 3.75 million people plus another 441,000 on the network’s streaming platform.

The figures were up on last year’s national audience of 3.06 million viewers, including 95,000 on streaming.

While Saturday’s game was the most-watched AFL game on a streaming platform, it overall fell short of being the highest-rating sporting event of the year after the huge numbers drawn by the Matildas in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in July.

More than four million people tuned into Saturday’s AFL grand final. Picture: Jason Edwards

In Melbourne alone, 1.15 million people watched Seven’s linear broadcast, with 414,000 tuning in from Brisbane.

Managing director of Seven Melbourne, Lewis Martin, said the result “reminds us of just how much we all love footy”.

“It’s the passion of the fans that elevates footy from being a sport to a unique spectacle that unites the nation,” he said.

The match held a 97.4 per cent share of viewers in Melbourne along with almost 80 per cent of Sydney’s viewership.

More Thursday night games are set to be scheduled as soon as next season after the league and players recently agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement, with the new seven-year $4.5 billion broadcast deal with Foxtel and Seven to kick off from 2025.

Originally published as AFL Grand Final 2023 TV ratings: More than four million people tuned in for Collingwood-Brisbane epic