2026 TV and Streaming Ratings thread

[newc18]

Given the AFL covers a 3 hour block and NRL 2 hours, it's actually more likely the AFL won the competing timeslot. Seven's press release confirms this, but it was very close.

Nice try but the facts are that the NRL had a higher average audience which is the metric the NRL and AFL report in their annual reports.

7 using reach because thier game goes for longer doesn't change this. They are helped by the fact they will always have people switch over after the NRL game finishes.

 

[newc18]

This is in the AFL annual report under viewership.

Viewership Total viewership for the AFL finals was 18.4 million (up six per cent on last year), while the Grand Final was watched by 4.12 million fans and saw its largest-ever audience on 7Plus. More than 150 million fans watched AFL matches through the course of the 2025 year with the Collingwood v Brisbane Lions preliminary final becoming the most watched AFL game of all time on Fox (933,000 average audience on the Foxtel platforms).

It's interesting that they don't use reach, but average audience instead.

 

[storm1999]

Interesting that they don't use reach?

I'm not talking about reach. I'm saying AFL had a higher average for the 2 hour block in which both sports overlapped.

 

[newc18]

I'm not talking about reach. I'm saying AFL had a higher average for the 2 hour block in which both sports overlapped.

We don't have that information. For all we know is that the AFL audience in the last hour was higher and inflated the overall average. It was a close game after all and I'm sure there were a heap of people who watched the NRL game that tuned in afterwards.

 

[BuffaloRules]

Given the AFL covers a 3 hour block and NRL 2 hours, it's actually more likely the AFL won the competing timeslot. Seven's press release confirms this, but it was very close.

One thing that is clear, the 9NOW streaming ratings are way ahead of 7+.

Canberra v Canterbury up against Hawthorn v Swans …

would have thought that one would have been a clear win for the AFL to be honest

 

[footy75]

Thursday 20th March

NRL - 737,000
AFL - 727,000

Another win for the NRL.

Both close games, close ratings.

 

[i0Nic]

Crap outcome for Fumble. a big Melbourne club vs supposedly the most supported club of any code in the country. Victoria and NSW, two biggest states. Couldn’t draw more than an nrl game featuring a regional club.

once you add bvod and pay tv the gap only increases in favour of the nrl.

the way this year is going in terms of ratings Fumble will be lucky to win any time slots at all.

I bet Rookie wont tell this story on his socials.

 

[storm1999]

Couldn’t draw more than an nrl game featuring a regional club.

There was 47,945 at the MCG to be fair. The fan culture in Melbourne is to attend the games to support your club, not stay home and sit on the couch.

 

[i0Nic]

There was 47,945 at the MCG to be fair. The fan culture in Melbourne is to attend the games to support your club, not stay home and sit on the couch.

This is the tv ratings thread

 

[storm1999]

This is the tv ratings thread

Just explaining that 48,000 people didn't watch on TV as they were actually at the game, a concept which may be foreign to most Sydneysiders.

 

[i0Nic]

Just explaining that 48,000 people didn't watch on TV as they were actually at the game, a concept which may be foreign to most Sydneysiders.

10k more on fta
Will be 50k+ more on bvod
Will be more yet again on pay tv.

47 -13 (torrential rain) = 34

nrl still trumps afl, even for what should be a tentpole afl game. Try again

 

[insert.pause]

Raiders games don’t usually rate very well.

Very strong start to the year for the nrl, continuing on from the trend set last year where nrl games routinely outrated the afl h2h.

 

[Yosemite Sam]

There was 47,945 at the MCG to be fair. The fan culture in Melbourne is to attend the games to support your club, not stay home and sit on the couch.

In most cases, even if you combine TV ratings + crowd figure the NRL still wins comfortably.

 

[Wb1234]

There was 47,945 at the MCG to be fair. The fan culture in Melbourne is to attend the games to support your club, not stay home and sit on the couch.

High petrol prices is a killer for a code who belies heavily on crowd revenue lol

 

[Billythekid]

I don’t have historical data in front of me but those seem like huge ratings for a game involving Canberra.

There was 47,945 at the MCG to be fair. The fan culture in Melbourne is to attend the games to support your club, not stay home and sit on the couch.

How sad are your lives that you waste it creating alts like this on a forum for a sport you don’t care about. Get a hobby or a GF or something.

 

[Wb1234]

 

[storm1999]

How sad are your lives that you waste it creating alts like this on a forum for a sport you don’t care about.

Don't presume you know anything about me. I've been watching and attending Rugby League games since the days of Robbie Ross and Marcus Bai.

 

[The_Wookie]

Given the AFL covers a 3 hour block and NRL 2 hours, it's actually more likely the AFL won the competing timeslot. Seven's press release confirms this, but it was very close.\

Sevens release is based on reach.

One thing that is clear, the 9NOW streaming ratings are way ahead of 7+.

9now was streaming years before 7plus too.,

 

[The_Wookie]

Raiders games don’t usually rate very well.

Very strong start to the year for the nrl, continuing on from the trend set last year where nrl games routinely outrated the afl h2h.

Raiders games arent normally Thursday prime time either i reckon

 

[The_Wookie]

Crap outcome for Fumble. a big Melbourne club vs supposedly the most supported club of any code in the country. Victoria and NSW, two biggest states. Couldn’t draw more than an nrl game featuring a regional club.

once you add bvod and pay tv the gap only increases in favour of the nrl.

the way this year is going in terms of ratings Fumble will be lucky to win any time slots at all.

I bet Rookie wont tell this story on his socials.

Hawthorn isnt considered a big Melbourne club, its top of the mid range group though (Cats in here too)
Swans membership and support in Melbourne also not really as much as Sydney (about 20% of Members on past released figures)

Ill tell whatever the data says