Broncos suffer huge hit in TV ratings as AFL surges in Brisbane
As the Brisbane Broncos reel from a sixth straight loss, shock television ratings figures have emerged, revealing the NRL club’s struggles are playing into the hands of the cross-code rival AFL.
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Explosive figures suggest fans are switching off the embattled Broncos en masse, with AFL television ratings at record highs in Brisbane.
Even when they won three AFL premierships in a row earlier this century, the Brisbane Lions could not keep pace with the Broncos in the race for television eyeballs.
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But in a stunning win for the AFL in Queensland’s rugby league heartland, free-to-air ratings have spiked by 38 per cent in Brisbane alone, and it would appear the boost has as much to do with the Broncos being at rock bottom in the NRL as it does the Lions flying in equal first on the ladder.
The alarm bells don’t stop there for the Broncos or for the NRL, who promote Anthony Seibold’s team ad nauseam in their blue ribbon timeslots of Thursday and Friday nights.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal that the AFL has outperformed the NRL by a whopping 38 per cent in national audience on Thursday nights and 28 per cent on Friday nights.
Given the Broncos have featured in four Thursday night clashes and two Friday night prime time matches from their eight matches this year – it’s another brutal assessment of how the Broncos are on the nose.
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For the past few years, Brisbane have been almost permanent fixtures on Thursday and Friday night games, much to the ire of rival teams who envy the consistency of their schedule.
The NRL has outperformed AFL on Fox Sports this year, but on free-to-air television, the AFL on Channel 7 are kings.
AFL bosses are excited about its massive boost in popularity in NSW and Queensland at a time when more than half the competition has relocated there due to the COVID-19 crisis in Victoria.
Across both expansion markets in NSW and Queensland, the AFL is up 16 per cent in 2020 on its averages.
GWS Giants’ first ever home Friday night match last week against Collingwood banked a national audience of 1.02 million, the AFL’s sixth biggest TV audience of the year.
AFL chief executive Gill McLachlan on Monday night claimed a huge victory for the game in rugby league heartland.
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“I want to especially thank fans in New South Wales and Queensland who have shown unprecedented interest in the broadcast of AFL games this year,” said McLachlan.
“We know participation at all levels of football in both states has continued to trend upwards with nearly 300,000 participants in New South Wales and 270,000 participants in Queensland in 2019, an increase of seven per cent for each state.
“Female participants now make up 41 per cent of total participation in Queensland while New South Wales saw an increase of 15 per cent for female participation last year.
“These participants are not just playing the game, they’re watching, following and supporting teams in New South Wales and Queensland – reflected in the viewership figures released today.
“With the current situation and restrictions in place in Victoria – 10 AFL teams have temporarily relocated to both those states – we thank everyone in New South Wales and Queensland for their support of our game, including the respective State Governments and their medical officials.”
