2026 TV and Streaming Ratings thread

[Mother Nature's Son]

Why is this troll still here. Go back to the AFL forums.

With his tail between his legs.

 

[Mother Nature's Son]

As of 2026,
Melbourne has a total audience population of 6,006,000
Sydney has a total audience population of 5,739,000

Source: https://virtualoz.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/VOZ-Universe-Estimates-2026.pdf

Grab those small wins whenever you can champ. You need them.

 

[flamin]

As of 2026,
Melbourne has a total audience population of 6,006,000
Sydney has a total audience population of 5,739,000

Source: https://virtualoz.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/VOZ-Universe-Estimates-2026.pdf

That's interesting reading. I didn't realise Northern NSW is almost the same size as the Perth market, while Adelaide is smaller than Southern NSW

 

[i0Nic]

NSW is significantly larger than Victoria.
QLD is larger than SA, WA, TAS combined.

fumblefan here is entering a dangerous territory for fumble if trying to compare populations for heartland areas. Not a battle the works in the favour of FLA

“But rugby league is only popular in two states not like our fumbling game that’s popular in wasteland cities all along the ass end of Australia!”

 

[storm1999]

NSW is significantly larger than Victoria.
QLD is larger than SA, WA, TAS combined.

I was just referring to OzTAM metro markets. I stand by my observation that Melbourne is the #1 market. And the NRL would be a lot stronger here if not for the disgraceful and hypocritical treatment of the Storm during David Gallop's reign of incompetence. But that's another story.

 

[i0Nic]

Stick to arguing about Crowds

 

[stratocaster]

As of 2026,
Melbourne has a total audience population of 6,006,000
Sydney has a total audience population of 5,739,000

Source: https://virtualoz.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/VOZ-Universe-Estimates-2026.pdf

I do wish that AFL fans would look at those numbers a bit closer too. You can break up the media markets like this:

Melbourne - 6.0 million - AFL market - 9/10 AFL teams, 1 NRL team
Sydney - 5.7million - NRL market - 9/10 NRL teams, 2 AFL teams
Brisbane - 4.0 million - NRL market - 2/3 NRL teams, 1 AFL team
Rest of NZ - 3.3 million - NRL market - 0 NRL teams, 0 AFL teams -- maybe NRL team 20
Northern NSW - 2.5 million - NRL market - 1 NRL team, 0 AFL teams -- AFL unlikely
Perth - 2.5 million - AFL market - 2 AFL teams, 1 (soon) NRL team -- NRL adding a team
Auckland - 2.2 million - NRL market - 1 NRL team, 0 AFL teams - AFL unlikely
Rest of QLD - 2.1 million - NRL market -1 NRL team, 0 AFL teams - AFL unlikely
Southern NSW/ACT - 1.68 million - NRL market - 2 NRL teams, 0 AFL teams - AFL unlikely
Adelaide - 1.65 million - AFL market - 2 AFL teams, 0 NRL teams - NRL unlikely
Rest of VIC - 1.33 million - AFL market - 1 AFL team, 0 NRL teams - NRL unlikely
TAS - 0.58 million - AFL market - 1 (soon AFL) team, 0 NRL teams - NRL unlikely


The NRL is dominant in 5 of the 10 biggest Australian markets -- 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 -- 57%
AFL is in the other five but they're mostly smaller markets -- 1, 5, 8, 9, 10 -- 43%

NZ2 may be NRL team 20. I can also see the NRL one day having an Adelaide team again within the next decade or two, especially after Perth paves the way. Really, Adelaide is the only major market left in Australia for the NRL - even regional Victoria is too decentralised for another AFL team to work, let alone NRL.

But look at the AFL -- it will never catch up in Sydney or Brisbane. Are they really adding more teams when GWS can't even fill its stadium? New Zealand won't happen any time soon for the AFL. Northern NSW won't happen. Regional Queensland? Nope. At best maybe they'll try Canberra.

Include New Zealand though in these markets and the edge goes to the NRL even more.

AFL fans are excited about the Tassie Devils but you can fit almost five Tasmanias into Northern NSW. Tassie is tiny.

It just feels like the NRL has the edge in the media markets race.

 

[storm1999]

Brisbane - 4.0 million - NRL market - 2/3 NRL teams, 1 AFL team

2 AFL teams assuming this includes Gold Coast...

 

[storm1999]

AFL fans are excited about the Tassie Devils but you can fit almost five Tasmanias into Northern NSW. Tassie is tiny.

This is true but it doesn't mean the team won't be successful. Look at the Green Bay Packers.

 

[newc18]

This is true but it doesn't mean the team won't be successful. Look at the Green Bay Packers.

You mean the team that survives perfectly well without a roofed stadium?

 

[Barney Stubble]

I was just referring to OzTAM metro markets. I stand by my observation that Melbourne is the #1 market. And the NRL would be a lot stronger here if not for the disgraceful and hypocritical treatment of the Storm during David Gallop's reign of incompetence. But that's another story.

stand by it all you want

you're as per usual.... wrong

 

[Barney Stubble]

This is true but it doesn't mean the team won't be successful. Look at the Green Bay Packers.

30 minutes from Milwaukee , a city with double the population of Tasmania ?
not even remotely the same scenario

fumblers & their ignorance

 

[stratocaster]

This is true but it doesn't mean the team won't be successful. Look at the Green Bay Packers.

It means that they will likely always be the smallest AFL team.

Wisconsin has 6,000,000 people. Tasmania has 576,000.

 

[stratocaster]

You mean the team that survives perfectly well without a roofed stadium?

Tasmanians and AFL fans are just soft apparently. Packers fans have even fought against the roof for years.

 

[i0Nic]

Green Bay Packers:
- From Wisconsin state, population 6m
- Publically owned company with 540,000 individual share owners
- One of the oldest and most successful clubs in NFL history

Tasmania Devils:
- From Tasmania, population 570,000
- Owned and run by the AFL, yet another AFL owned basketcase
- Brand new club with no history

How daft is that comparison?

 

[i0Nic]

Tasmanians and AFL fans are just soft apparently. Packers fans have even fought against the roof for years.

Wait till that roofed stadium ends up costing them 3B instead of 1.3B. Just for the luxury of playing 6/7 games a year. It's going to turn into a shitshow.

 

[storm1999]

Just for the luxury of playing 6/7 games a year.

NRL games will be played there too. Not to mention Big Bash, A-League, Super Rugby.

 

[i0Nic]

NRL games will be played there too. Not to mention Big Bash, A-League, Super Rugby.

So Tasmania will have to:
- Spend billions to have the pleasure of hosting a Fumble team in a new stadium, for only half their fixtures
- Pay MORE money to the NRL and others to bring more content into that stadium so it's not a total white elephant

Sounds like a rad deal for Tasmanians, who mind you already have 2 stadiums currently hosting AFL fixtures that could have been perfectly used, and will continue to be used for AFL. All for a state with less people than Newcastle.

 

[newc18]

NRL games will be played there too. Not to mention Big Bash, A-League, Super Rugby.

The only way NRL games are being played there is if the Tasmanian government pays a club to play games there. The NRL has no interest expanding to Tasmania.

 

[storm1999]

Sounds like a rad deal for Tasmanians, who mind you already have 2 stadiums currently hosting AFL fixtures that could have been perfectly used, and will continue to be used for AFL.

The difference is that the AFL want to play at elite modern state-of-the-art stadiums, not suburban shitholes like Kogarah or Shark Park.