AFL grand final TV ratings rose, but still couldn’t beat the Matildas

Almost 5.5 million people watched Collingwood’s heart-stopping win over Brisbane in the AFL grand final on Saturday, but it still wasn’t enough to supplant the Matildas’ FIFA World Cup semi-final as the most watched TV program of 2023.

Seven’s coverage attracted a national audience of 4.98 million on Channel Seven and 441,000 live online viewers on 7Plus, which the network said was the biggest ever audience for an AFL match on a streaming platform.

In all, the grand final attracted 756,000 views on 7Plus, while gaining an average audience of 3.75 million.

The Matildas’ World Cup semi-final loss to England in August broke the OzTam record with a national average audience of 7.13 million and even a dream AFL match-up of Collingwood taking on Carlton would have struggled to match such a figure.

But Seven was happy to see Collingwood’s four-point triumph make a 22 per cent jump in average audience on last year’s decider between Geelong and Sydney, which was effectively over by quarter-time following a dominant first term by the Cats.

Seven Melbourne managing director and head of network sport Lewis Martin welcomed the ratings figures.

Last year, Martin renewed calls for a return to a twilight or prime-time grand final following the drop in audience.

The league had later start times for the grand final during the COVID-affected seasons of 2020 and 2021, when the games were played in Brisbane and Perth.

“Seven’s live, free and exclusive coverage of the unmissable premiership decider 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,” Martin said.

“The AFL is Australia’s number one winter sport, it’s a core part of our DNA, and Seven’s expert commentary, insights and coverage showcase the entertainment and exceptional competition of the AFL like no one else.”

The tense finish kept viewers until the final siren with a 97.4 per cent share in Melbourne during the game along with 79.5 per cent in its timeslot in Sydney and 87.9 per cent in Brisbane.

The Brisbane number this year is, as expected, more than the number of 80.5 per cent of Sydney viewers who watched the Swans fall short in last year’s grand final timeslot.

The 2023 finals series, which featured several 90,000-plus crowds at the MCG for Collingwood and Carlton’s matches, attracted 7.9 million viewers nationally, excluding the grand final, and an average finals audience of 1.1 million.

Those finals numbers are up on last year when 7.8 million viewers watched the finals series nationally, but average audience of 1.1 million remains the same.

The AFL grand final reached 3.75 million total viewers nationally, the presentations reached 3.66 million, the on the ground segment attracted 2.74 million, the pre-match entertainment had 1.2 million and post-match coverage dropped to 323,000.

Seven and Foxtel will continue as AFL and AFLW broadcasters until at least the end of the 2031 season after signing a new agreement last year.

Seven also pointed out that it would have more digital rights to AFL and Australian cricket from next year.

“The biggest change to sports streaming rights in recent history takes place next year, when Seven adds the full digital rights to AFL and cricket,” Seven West Media chief revenue officer Kurt Burnette said.

“That will bring massive audiences in 2024 and beyond across the screens of Seven, with the new rights unlocking the full audience potential of free sport for advertisers and brands.”

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