2026 TV and Streaming Ratings thread

[Barney Stubble]

I know this sounds like a dumb question, but pause and ask yourself this.

What is actually the motivation behind the NRL seeking to maximise its revenue rights deal?

Part of the reason is because the players and private owners of the clubs want to make more money, but that's only part of it. The NRL is a subsidiary commercial brand of its owner, the ARLC. Why died the ARLC exist in the first place?

If you go to the the NRL website, it states what the ARL Commission (the directors of the ARLC), it states the Objects of its Constitution. One of the key points is to fund the participation of the sport.

Obviously, the AFL has similar aims.

Obviously, it is easier to get more people to play the sport if they're interested in watching it on TV. But you still need to spend money on a TV-watcher to actually play it. The AFL has more money to do that. Personally I think they've pissed that money down the drain - nobody cares about GC/GWS when I lived in Sydney and Brisbane - but AFL fans have been conned into thinking that that money hasn't been pissed down the drain, so they continue to spend hundreds of dollars each on tickets and memberships just so that money can continue to be pissed down.

dumber by the post

 

[comeinpeace]

Great point i0Nic well constructed.

Unless you think about the fact that we've posted 2 seconds apart writing lengthy posts which clearly one person does not have the time to do both. Really.

 

[Mother Nature's Son]

Btw how many duplicate accounts is this afl troll gonna create? Jesus Christ.

Yeah, what is it with the fumbles and this doubling up stuff, it`s usually only Friday nights, jeez, things must be desperate.

 

[The_Wookie]

this thread has gone a little weird. wtf

 

[i0Nic]

this thread has gone a little weird. wtf

Ask your mates on Bigfooty to stop religiously spamming these league forums with their duplicate accounts and endless trolling.

 

[i0Nic]

maybe Im you too ?

Yes maybe you are. I like your version of my personality better.

 

[stratocaster]

this thread has gone a little weird. wtf

I like a couple of sports and dislike a few. That's everyone's subjective opinion. But I've never felt insecure enough to go on a website for a sport that I hate and talk it down. Some of these guys need therapy.

All I want to do is talk about the data and what trends we can take from it.

Honest question, because you seem very levelheaded about all this with your collating. Keeping in mind the margin with 2 games vs 1 was only 5k:

If on Sunday the AFL had only aired one game nationally - Demons vs Lions - or - Eagles vs Dockers - would it have beaten the NRL?

I can't see Demons vs Lions rating 160k in Perth. And I can't Eagles vs Dockers rating 149k in Melbourne or 36k in Brisbane.

 

[insert.pause]

I like a couple of sports and dislike a few. That's everyone's subjective opinion. But I've never felt insecure enough to go on a website for a sport that I hate and talk it down. Some of these guys need therapy.

All I want to do is talk about the data and what trends we can take from it.

Honest question, because you seem very levelheaded about all this with your collating. Keeping in mind the margin with 2 games vs 1 was only 5k:

If on Sunday the AFL had only aired one game nationally - Demons vs Lions - or - Eagles vs Dockers - would it have beaten the NRL?

I can't see Demons vs Lions rating 160k in Perth. And I can't Eagles vs Dockers rating 149k in Melbourne or 36k in Brisbane.

of course not, that’s why the afl do it. They admitted as much, they don’t have faith in northern teams being able to carry a national broadcast.

 

[i0Nic]

Everything the afl do is a house of cards to keep up the ‘national game’ charade.
It’s a heavily engineered strategy rather than an organic position. How they schedule tv games. How they over invest in nsw and qld at the expense of other markets. How they rig the draft to favour their nepo clubs. The academy concessions that favour nsw and qld clubs. Everything.

 

[The_Wookie]

of course not, that’s why the afl do it. They admitted as much, they don’t have faith in northern teams being able to carry a national broadcast.

Mostly, The AFL do it because way back in 2012, they committed to showing local games in local markets as a means of maximising broadcast value for Seven - in theory. They learnt it from Nine and the NRL who did it for years on Friday nights in QLD/NSW. And also because the Vic market is such a large part of the broadcast audience.

 

[The_Wookie]

Everything the afl do is a house of cards to keep up the ‘national game’ charade.
It’s a heavily engineered strategy rather than an organic position. How they schedule tv games.

You think their media rights value comes from where again?

 

[The_Wookie]

Honest question, because you seem very levelheaded about all this with your collating. Keeping in mind the margin with 2 games vs 1 was only 5k:

If on Sunday the AFL had only aired one game nationally - Demons vs Lions - or - Eagles vs Dockers - would it have beaten the NRL?

I can't see Demons vs Lions rating 160k in Perth. And I can't Eagles vs Dockers rating 149k in Melbourne or 36k in Brisbane.

I cant see Demons/Lions rating 160 in Perth, however I can see the Western Derby rating 150k in Melbourne, but not 36k in Brisbane.

Either way, they wouldnt have beaten the NRL on average ratings, but I dont think a Western Derby shown nationally (or a Showdown) would have rated much less. The AFL/Seven too chicken to try.

 

[i0Nic]

Mostly, The AFL do it because way back in 2012, they committed to showing local games in local markets as a means of maximising broadcast value for Seven - in theory. They learnt it from Nine and the NRL who did it for years on Friday nights in QLD/NSW. And also because the Vic market is such a large part of the broadcast audience.

In that time the nrl has grown its national audience significantly and the afl is still mostly reliant on its Victorian heartland.

which is why they need to still do this

 

[The_Wookie]

Ask your mates on Bigfooty to stop religiously spamming these league forums with their duplicate accounts and endless trolling.

I have very few mates on Bigfooty and rarely post any more.

 

[i0Nic]

That’s the problem the AFL have and are desperate to change - they only own 1 of the 3 major markets. this is limiting for them in lots of ways, tv scheduling being one example.

Nrl have at least two major states interested in any and all matchups.

 

[The_Wookie]

That’s the problem the AFL have and are desperate to change - they only own 1 of the 3 major markets. this is limiting for them in lots of ways, tv scheduling being one example.

Nrl have at least two major states interested in any and all matchups.

The AFLs problem with scheduling is what it always is - they wont play Sunday/Monday nights due to crowd concerns and they have overlapping matches on Saturday, Sunday....and even Friday.

The real strength is the regionals. Perth/Adelaide AFL arent massively short of Brisbane NRL, and Melbourne AFL mostly outrates Sydney NRL. Its the NSW and QLD country where they really pull away.

 

[stratocaster]

I cant see Demons/Lions rating 160 in Perth, however I can see the Western Derby rating 150k in Melbourne, but not 36k in Brisbane.

Either way, they wouldnt have beaten the NRL on average ratings, but I dont think a Western Derby shown nationally (or a Showdown) would have rated much less. The AFL/Seven too chicken to try.

Thanks for the honest and fair analysis. I agree with you.

Have the AFL ever broadcast a regular season WA derby into Melbourne?

 

[i0Nic]

The AFLs problem with scheduling is what it always is - they wont play Sunday/Monday nights due to crowd concerns and they have overlapping matches on Saturday, Sunday....and even Friday.

The real strength is the regionals. Perth/Adelaide AFL arent massively short of Brisbane NRL, and Melbourne AFL mostly outrates Sydney NRL. Its the NSW and QLD country where they really pull away.

Well that’s right. NSW is much larger than Victoria. QLD is larger than WA, SA, Tas combined.

 

[stratocaster]

Well that’s right. NSW is much larger than Victoria.

The population just to the north and south of Sydney is bigger than Adelaide. It is also has a higher median salary.

The AFL has no teams there.

 

[i0Nic]

The population just to the north and south of Sydney is bigger than Adelaide. It is also has a higher median salary.

The AFL has no teams there.

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I’d also argue the population of western Sydney is double that of Adelaide and giants haven’t even made a dent there.