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2026 TV and Streaming Ratings thread

stratocaster

stratocaster

Juniors
Messages
187
storm1999 said:
The games were not back to back. There was a one hour break at 6pm for Seven News, which won its timeslot largely due to the strong lead-in from the Giants v Tigers game.
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Channel 9 won the ratings last night in every timeslot on Sunday from 4pm - 11pm.

The 6-7pm Sunday News was won by Channel 9 - 1,522,000 vs Channel 7 1,451,000

The NRL was the stronger lead-in: 564,000 vs 366,000 for AFL.

For Channel 7 to have beaten the NRL in the 4pm - 6pm slots, its counterprogramming in NSW & QLD (Better Homes & Garden, 5pm News, Weekender) needed to have 198k viewers. None of them rated that highly at any point, so 9 won both hours, even without including 9's counterprogramming in SA, WA & VIC. Adding that only makes 9s win bigger.

I also noticed the reach for Sunday NRL's 2 hour slot was only 15,000 off the AFL's 3 hour slot. Basically, the NRL got as many channel changers flicking over in 2 hours as the AFL got in 3 hours.

For the record, Sunday Night AFL didn't just get beaten by MAFS. The order was, in terms of other channel programming:

MAFS 1,974,000
60 MINUTES 855,000
ABC NEWS 850,000
THE PIANO 620,000
THE 1% CLUB UK 496,000
AUSTRALIAN SURVIVOR 439,000 --> outrated Sunday Night AFL
AFL 437,000 -- so the AFL broadcast nationally (even on 7Mate in NSW, QLD) was beaten not only 10 & ABC as a program, but also by 7 itself with a rerun of a UK game show on its own channels in NSW & QLD
WHY PLANES CRASH 190,000
COLD CHISEL (Did not make the list - sub 190k)

So the evening timeslots comparing Channel 9 & 7:

7pm - 8pm slot Channel 9 was 1,974,000 vs 933,000 -- Channel 7 beaten by 1.041 million
8pm - 9pm slot Channel 9 was 1,974,000 vs 627,000 -- Channel 7 beaten by 1.347 million
9pm - 10pm slot Channel 9 was 855,000 vs less than 627,000 -- Channel 7 beaten by at least 230,000 - we don't know for sure because Cold Chisel didn't rate

However I am being generous here to 7, as the AFL in WA was up against Channel 7 news, ABC news, Channel 9 news and MAFS fully in the last 90 minutes WA -- so the margin win for Channel 9 would actually be larger in that state.

So basically, the Channel 7 didn't just lose to MAFS. The combined coverage of AFL and Why Planes Crash/Cold Chisel counterprogramming for the last part of the AFL broadcast was also beaten by several hundred thousand by Channel 9's 60 minutes alone, and by a decent margin.

It wouldn't surprise me to see in Perth that the ABC 7 News & The Piano also beat the AFL ratings. My honest guess is that between 7-7:30pm and 8:00-8:30pm, in the 15 minute spot ratings nationally, Channel 7 was beaten by ABC and came third behind Channel 9 & the ABC.
 
S

storm1999

Juniors
Messages
372
stratocaster said:
For the record, Sunday Night AFL didn't just get beaten by MAFS.
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What's your point in posting all this? Sunday Night AFL was main channel in two markets only, so most of this information is completely irrelevant. Anyone that knows anything about Australian media knew that MAFS would win the ratings by a landslide margin. If Seven replaced the AFL with a Sunday Night NRL game the ratings would have been even lower.
 
stratocaster

stratocaster

Juniors
Messages
187
storm1999 said:
I stand corrected. 7 News won comprehensively in Adelaide and Perth.
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And who won the three biggest markets - Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane? Oh that's right, Channel 9.

I don't know why we're arguing this. 9 had a 37.5% share yesterday. 7's was 27.8%. It wasn't even close.

I've now got the city by city breakdowns:

Melbourne
MAFS 451,000
ABC NEWS 208,000
AFL 160,000
THE PIANO 117,000

AFL 3rd 7-7:30, 2nd 7:30-10:00

Sydney
MAFS 404,000
60 MINUTES 177,000
NRL 175,000 -- not a primetime game but just think it's interesting Sunday afternoon NRL in Sydney beat Sunday night AFL in Melbourne
ABC NEWS 147,000
THE 1% CLUB 119,000
THE PIANO 100,000
AUSTRALIAN SURVIVOR 88,000
AFL - did not make the list

AFL at least 5th (more like 8 or 9th) in timeslot behind all other networks, Channel 7 third 7:00-7:30, 2nd 7:30-8:00, 3rd 8:00-8:30

Brisbane
Similar to Sydney
AFL - did not make the list (at least 5th - more likely 8th or 9th). Channel 7 third, similar to Sydney

Adelaide
MAFS 129k
AFL 88k
60 MINUTES 51k

AFL/Channel 7 second!

Perth
MAFS 157k
7 NEWS 128k - was on the main channel
9 NEWS 89k
ABC NEWS 69k
THE 1% CLUB 55k
BORDER SECURITY 54k
60 MINUTES 53k
THE PIANO 51k
AUSTRALIAN SURVIVOR 29k
7 SUNDAY NIGHT AFL 27k

Sunday Night AFL in Perth was indeed beaten by everything else, even Channel 7 counter programming, in competing timeslots like I guessed.
 
stratocaster

stratocaster

Juniors
Messages
187
storm1999 said:
What's your point in posting all this? Sunday Night AFL was main channel in two markets only, so most of this information is completely irrelevant. Anyone that knows anything about Australian media knew that MAFS would win the ratings by a landslide margin. If Seven replaced the AFL with a Sunday Night NRL game the ratings would have been even lower.
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Your argument was that it was MAFS that beat it.

It wasn't just MAFS. It was beaten by 60 Minutes, ABC News, ABC's The Piano and in some markets Australian Survivor. I just find your 'it was only beaten by MAFS' a bit of bullshit.
 
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i0Nic

i0Nic

Juniors
Messages
1,459
AFL - massive in the smallest metro markets in Australia only.
NRL - massive in Australia's biggest markets.

It's funny when these fumble flops compare Adelaide to Sydney as though they're equivalent.

But but but look at us were huge in the suburbs of Adelaide and Hobart!
 
i0Nic

i0Nic

Juniors
Messages
1,459
Also I see the most famous undercover AFL troll Wookie aka AFL Industry again getting NRL average ratings reporting wrong (under-counting it) on X. With the usual excuse of 'oops I got it wrong I'll update later'

When he makes these honest mistakes its always lowballing NRL, never the reverse. I wonder why that is
 
i0Nic

i0Nic

Juniors
Messages
1,459
storm1999 said:
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
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Not sure your point here. Sydney consistently has bigger ratings in general regardless of audience / population potential you're trying to show here.

The point is that NRL is way bigger in 2 of the 3 biggest markets in Australia. AFL is only big in 1 of those markets. Also NRL rates better in Melbourne than Fumble rates in Sydney (See previous gf ratings)
 
i0Nic

i0Nic

Juniors
Messages
1,459
Fumble fans have to be content that they're only big in one of Australia's largest cities, and a few small ones. While NRL is significantly bigger in Australia's premier world city Sydney, Australia's massively growing state and soon to be Olympic state QLD, as well as massive in the biggest regional areas in Australia - ACT, North Qld, Central Qld, Newcastle, Illawarra etc.. While the Fumble can have Geelong and... Bunbury?

NRL absolutely dominate the most populated and richest stretch of Australia, the Sydney to Brisbane corridor, that includes 2 of australia's biggest cities and a host of large and relevant regional cities. AFL can always stay big in Bunbury.

Let's laugh at the fumble's desperate sydney launch that was met with crickets, by both players and fans.

1776059735080.png
 
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stratocaster

stratocaster

Juniors
Messages
187
storm1999 said:
Melbourne is actually the #1 metro market in Australia for OzTam ratings.
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OzTam maps have always been a bit funny in what they do and don't include, and what gets overlapped.

Is Geelong a part of Melbourne? Is the Central Coast a part of Sydney? According to OzTam, yes. In reality? No.

For instance, if you took the area that is sampled for Adelaide's metro in terms of km2 and applied it to Sydney, it would suddenly include all of Newcastle and the Southern Highlands etc adding another million+ people.

It's a bit subjective really.
 
B

Barney Stubble

Juniors
Messages
807
i0Nic said:
Fumble fans have to be content that they're only big in one of Australia's largest cities, and a few small ones. While NRL is significantly bigger in Australia's premier world city Sydney, Australia's massively growing state and soon to be Olympic state QLD, as well as massive in the biggest regional areas in Australia - ACT, North Qld, Central Qld, Newcastle, Illawarra etc.. While the Fumble can have Geelong and... Bunbury?

NRL absolutely dominate the most populated and richest stretch of Australia, the Sydney to Brisbane corridor.they get a decent number of eyeballs
Click to expand...
They make the mistake of thinking because 80K turn up to watch Saint Killed it V Whorethorn
or Fartscray V Essenbong at the GEEEEE

their sport is big

what they don't realise is it pretty much ends right there .... there is almost nothing else
 
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