2025 Streaming and TV Ratings Discussion

[BuffaloRules]

melbourne derby on, so yes

15k watching the “Melbourne derby” in Sydney last week ..18k for GWS this week … they are actually performing ok I believe inside the 8 most of this season …

The ratings are shocking …but the AFL has a deal for 7 years … so it’s Channel 7s problem now

 

[eels4lifee]

15k watching the “Melbourne derby” in Sydney last week ..18k for GWS this week … they are actually performing ok I believe inside the 8 most of this season …

The ratings are shocking …but the AFL has a deal for 7 years … so it’s Channel 7s problem now

Advertising company's won't be happy with these ratings would they? It's beyond amateurish i reckon

 

[titoelcolombiano]

AFL - Billions of dollars for 18k viewers in Sydney
NRL - Zero dollars for 18k in Perth and Adelaide

 

[Vlad59]

AFL - Billions of dollars for 18k viewers in Sydney
NRL - Zero dollars for 18k in Perth and Adelaide

I’ve noticed they are flooding news corp media with endless flog ball ads right now. Smell the fear.

 

[i0Nic]

AFL - Billions of dollars for 18k viewers in Sydney
NRL - Zero dollars for 18k in Perth and Adelaide

Legit. And that’s even including have a Sydney team in the game. if you add the populations of Perth and Adelaide it’s not even close to Sydney. Dire.

 

[reanimate]

Fairly obvious why
- AFL is largely watched by vic/wa/sa & largely watched by Anglo people
- NRL is multicultural with huge pacific island numbers
- NRL is generally exciting but this round and last have seen some bad blowout. Without seeing the comparison and knowing it, I’d suggest that the nrl is highly competitive and more competitive than afl - meaning the average score differential js lower
- NRL has huge expansion plans
- NRL has a lot to grow (sa, tas, nz, vic2, pacific, Fiji) - not in any order and excludes the known wa,png
- NRL has been on the backfoot and hopeless for many years
- NRL now has 200m in assets compared to 300m in AFL - and this will grow to 1bn
- NRL clubs are backed by pokies - this is sadly good money and will keep them going and the clubs are very rich - Canberra by example is worth a lot
- NRL has international expansion and origin
- the list goes on and on
…

Plus Gen Z and below’s lack of attention span very much works against longer and slower sports like Union and AFL. RL is much faster and keeps people engaged better with what’s happening onscreen.

 

[Mother Nature's Son]

Plus Gen Z and below’s lack of attention span very much works against longer and slower sports like Union and AFL. RL is much faster and keeps people engaged better with what’s happening onscreen.

Throw in the fact that the NRL is played on a rectangular field with defence and attack directly opposite each other means that League is far more viewer friendly on phones etc.

 

[eels4lifee]

Tonight I've had some great banter with Wallabies & BL fans and you'll be surprised just how many BL fans who watch the NRL from back home in the UK....its quiet mind blowing actually that in Scotland and Wales people who love Rugby League and watch the NRL - i was really blown away. And they knew about the upcoming ashes series also. And here we think that union fans don't know that Rugby League exists, trust me they do

 

[Billythekid]

I think Sydney people really str to grasp how far Union has fallen.

It’s bizarre to me that you thought this was such a good post the first time that you decided to repeat it. I’m not from Sydney and I’m pretty sure some of the other posters commenting on those ratings aren’t either.

I think this gets to the heart of what I disagree with and maybe this is a bit of semantics. Your argument seems to be that union has gone so far backwards that anything above their recent diabolical ratings is good. I’d argue that they’re still average ratings you’ve just lowered your expectations.

Union themselves still talk about competing with league and poaching our players in an attempt to compete with us. This isn’t some sport that’s always been a minor player just trying to carve out their own niche. They’re aiming to be a major sport in this country and compete with the big boys. In that context the ratings aren’t that amazing IMO.

 

[Vlad59]

It’s bizarre to me that you thought this was such a good post the first time that you decided to repeat it. I’m not from Sydney and I’m pretty sure some of the other posters commenting on those ratings aren’t either.

I think this gets to the heart of what I disagree with and maybe this is a bit of semantics. Your argument seems to be that union has gone so far backwards that anything above their recent diabolical ratings is good. I’d argue that they’re still average ratings you’ve just lowered your expectations.

Union themselves still talk about competing with league and poaching our players in an attempt to compete with us. This isn’t some sport that’s always been a minor player just trying to carve out their own niche. They’re aiming to be a major sport in this country and compete with the big boys. In that context the ratings aren’t that amazing IMO.

Their player base is diminishing at the elite levels. Their player base is diminishing at amateur levels. The games profile is almost non existent (who the feck is the captain?). Their only high profile player is a failed league player.

 

[NRLMad]

There is quite simply no way union can catch up ever again. Union is played in elite private schools and I know as I went to one, my son goes to one, all of the union players have league backgrounds or a team that they follow. League is so far ahead and that’s without the rude health we will be in once we get the new tv deal and add new teams. Nz rugby will be affected,

the next step is that the all blacks will leave out which may result in teams from Europe being more competitive- and hence those markets will go up.

next stop is the nrl going to Europe and replicating the process here with very, very deep pockets.

 

[NRLMad]

Nrl Vegas could eventually be moved to nrl & esl London and it will cause a lot of ripples.

if 100k people descend on London for a weekend - the tv, media, radio and broadcasting will shift momentarily to us

Remember the difference with Vegas is they don’t have a union stronghold.

Moving to London (eventually) would be a supercharge for the UK game. 10000s of fans would travel & what would be the benefit?

For one week in London, we’d be the main game in town.

 

[NRLMad]

An easier starting point would be HK or Singapore - Aussies will travel as it’s close by and that will connect us to the Asian markets. The las vegas event has been a roaring success and the administration / players and game should all be applauded.

 

[BuffaloRules]

An easier starting point would be HK or Singapore - Aussies will travel as it’s close by and that will connect us to the Asian markets. The las vegas event has been a roaring success and the administration / players and game should all be applauded.

Would take a lot more than an NRL game to get Aussies to go to Singapore… have you been there ?

 

[Canard]

There is quite simply no way union can catch up ever again. Union is played in elite private schools and I know as I went to one, my son goes to one, all of the union players have league backgrounds or a team that they follow. League is so far ahead and that’s without the rude health we will be in once we get the new tv deal and add new teams. Nz rugby will be affected,

the next step is that the all blacks will leave out which may result in teams from Europe being more competitive- and hence those markets will go up.

next stop is the nrl going to Europe and replicating the process here with very, very deep pockets.

London won't work for Australian TV.

Hawaii is the most obvious next location.

 

[Wb1234]

Saturday 2 August 2025 | TV Tonight

National TV Reach: 1. TEST RUGBY: 2025 BRITISH & IRISH LIONS TOUR 1,801,000 2. SEVEN NEWS 1,724,000 3. 9NEWS 1,621,000 4. TEST RUGBY: POST MATCH 1,159,000 5. ABC NEWS-SA ABC 1,042,000

tvtonight.com.au

689k

 

[The_Wookie]

 

[Iamback]

Whilst the downturn you mention is true, aren’t premier sporting events that can only be watched on FTA (eg NRL/AFL GF, SOO etc.) not as affected by this? I could be wrong as I haven’t checked the data either but just a thought.

Origin regularly cracked 4m back then. Gets about 3m now, still huge but shows the move away from FTA

 

[The_Wookie]

Origin regularly cracked 4m back then. Gets about 3m now, still huge but shows the move away from FTA

"regularly" - 3 times Game 3, 2013 and Games 1 & 2 in 2014. No other.

Origin frightfullly close to cracking 4m this year dude.

Game 1: 3.791m
Game 2: 3.776m
Game 3: 3.961m

 

[Wb1234]

Afl got 123k by combining two games that each involved their best teams in nsw and qld

Omg

Kerry stokes is going to have a heart attack when he sees those numbers