Eddie McGuire says world may soon be watching the biggest game in town

Collingwood president Eddie McGuire says global tech companies such as Google and Amazon have “started to take notice” of the AFL’s showpiece events. Could we soon be watching the footy on YouTube?

Eddie McGuire says the AFL’s showpiece events have caught the attention of streaming giants who are scoping out the sport.

The Collingwood president and broadcaster revealed on Thursday that global companies such as Google, Facebook, YouTube and Amazon had “started to take notice” of the biggest game in town.

“I’m led to believe big overseas media companies are all sniffing around and they’ve suddenly caught on, ‘hang on this is something pretty special’,’’ McGuire said.

“All those big ones. For the clubs we know these new streaming services are huge.”

Eddie McGuire and Gillon McLachlan.

McGuire was speaking with AFL chief Gillon McLachlan on Thursday’s Triple M Hot Breakfast Grand Final eve eve show at Melbourne Public.

He said the game was turning heads overseas.

“I say this sincerely, you have kept pushing and kept getting the game better, sometimes to our chagrin, but others internationally are looking at it,’’ McGuire said.

“When they turn up. as they have the last month, and look at the figures, last week there was 90-something thousand for Richmond and Geelong; 86,000 for Collingwood-GWS and you explain this is a fledgling team that doesn’t have much supporters.

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“They say, you mean the two biggest crowds in the world last weekend all happened over a period of 18 hours at one ground in one city in Australia, and they start to take notice of it.

“It’s in good health at the moment”.

McLachlan praised his brother, Hamish McLachlan, for his debut hosting of the Brownlow Medal. “I thought Hame went well. He was bloody nervous but we took about an hour out of it and the feedback is people enjoyed it more. That took some work with Channel 7 but it rated really well. It was shorter and punchier and people seemed to like it,’’ he said.