2026 TV and Streaming Ratings thread

[The_Wookie]

After those modifications the Gabba capacity for AFL is 34,735 general admission seats. It's on the Gabba website. It was 34,700 in 2004. With corporates it can hold 37,478.

The Lions averaging 30,598 is only 88% of the Gabba's general admission capacity. They would have to average 4,137 more every game to be at 100% capacity - which is higher than they've ever averaged.

The general admission capacity in 2004 was also 34,700. All that happened was they increase the cricket capacity to 42,000 then took some back for the AFL requirement. Nothing about the stadium arrangement has caused the Lions to decline.

The stadium capacity reduction was a cricket requirement, not an AFL one. Specifically for sight screens and a summer pool deck facility.

The Swans just had 43,000 at the SCG. Its capacity for AFL listed on the AFL website itself is 46,000.
Their average is 34,271.

That's only 75% of capacity. They could fit in another 12,000 people every game.

They don't because it's not the stadium that's the problem. It's the club.

Actually with most AFL clubs and stadiums, the issue is those seats arent for sale, its the club members with reserved seats and stadium members not showing up. We see this all over the AFL. Its why sellout crowds are somewhat odd in the AFL, tickets/seats can be sold but people dont show.

Not saying this is the reason for the Swans falling so far short, but SCG members are notoriously fickle and are more cricket fans than football ones.

 

[stratocaster]

Actually with most AFL clubs and stadiums, the issue is those seats arent for sale, its the club members with reserved seats and stadium members not showing up. We see this all over the AFL. Its why sellout crowds are somewhat odd in the AFL, tickets/seats can be sold but people dont show.

Not saying this is the reason for the Swans falling so far short, but SCG members are notoriously fickle and are more cricket fans than football ones.

Thanks for the rational response. Yes stadium members not showing up does affect things, that's a big problem for the Broncos at the moment because they could sell 50,000 general admission seats if they were available. A lot of people who attend Swans games at the SCG do in fact sit in the members area because they are SCG members. According to the SCG themselves its:


There's at least 30000 general admission seats at the SCG out of 48,000 capacity.

For the Swans to average 34,277 in 2025, that means there's about 5000 empty members seats and 9000 empty general admission seats at an average Swans match. The crowd for the Giants game hints that this is roughly correct - about 5000 members who are cricket and not AFL fans out of the 18000 members gets you to that 43000 from the other day. That is what a sellout for AFL should look like.

I just don't how this other guy can claim it's a capacity issue. To sell out every game, Swans would have to average 43000.

 

[stratocaster]

Dashed line is the line of resistance line - basically the highest the data will go before it comes back down.

Dotted line is the moving averages line showing future trend velocity.

AFL = stagnant.

NRL = growing

 

[i0Nic]

Thanks for the rational response. Yes stadium members not showing up does affect things, that's a big problem for the Broncos at the moment because they could sell 50,000 general admission seats if they were available. A lot of people who attend Swans games at the SCG do in fact sit in the members area because they are SCG members. According to the SCG themselves its:

View attachment 112138
There's at least 30000 general admission seats at the SCG out of 48,000 capacity.

For the Swans to average 34,277 in 2025, that means there's about 5000 empty members seats and 9000 empty general admission seats at an average Swans match. The crowd for the Giants game hints that this is roughly correct - about 5000 members who are cricket and not AFL fans out of the 18000 members gets you to that 43000 from the other day. That is what a sellout for AFL should look like.

I just don't how this other guy can claim it's a capacity issue. To sell out every game, Swans would have to average 43000.

It’s a capacity issue for only a couple games they have a year that push the envelope. It’s a situation faced by many nrl teams much for frequently than the swans - broncos, warriors, manly to name a few that constantly if not all the time are hitting max capacity of their stadiums.

 

[storm1999]

I just don't how this other guy can claim it's a capacity issue.

You're assuming there are only two categories of tickets:
SCG Members
General Admission

Well actually there are Reserved Seat Club Memberships that make up a large portion of the crowd at every AFL game. I have no idea how many Swans have, but it would be at least 10k, more likely 15k. If these members don't turn up their seats are empty and can't be accessed by other patrons.

So, yes you can still have a sell out with a crowd in the 35-40k range. A "sell out" literally just means all seats have been sold, not necessarily that they are being used.

 

[The_Wookie]

View attachment 112139
Dashed line is the line of resistance line - basically the highest the data will go before it comes back down.

Dotted line is the moving averages line showing future trend velocity.

AFL = stagnant.

NRL = growing

As posted to the other thread - strictly speaking not entirely true - AFL averages dropped with the introduction of GWS/GOld Coast but have been trending gradually upward, but NRL growth is amazing since COVID.

 

[storm1999]

AFL = stagnant

Crowd averages took a steep fall in 2012 when the Suns and Giants came into the comp however the aggregate continued to rise as there were more games. The average has now slowly recovered and improved back to what it was before the expansion teams were introduced. This is clear growth, not sure how you can call it stagnation?

The NRL crowds are obviously growing faster but that is inevitable coming off such a low base. Demolishing derelict suburban venues such as Kogarah, Shark Park, Brookvale and Leichhardt would help accelerate the growth even faster however the fan base seems hesitant to do this.

 

[stratocaster]

You're assuming there are only two categories of tickets:
SCG Members
General Admission

Well actually there are Reserved Seat Club Memberships that make up a large portion of the crowd at every AFL game. I have no idea how many Swans have, but it would be at least 10k, more likely 15k. If these members don't turn up their seats are empty and can't be accessed by other patrons.

So, yes you can still have a sell out with a crowd in the 35-40k range. A "sell out" literally just means all seats have been sold, not necessarily that they are being used.

The platinum reserved seats are in the members stands. They're not in general admission. They don't stop a random member of the public buying a seat because they couldn't sit there in the first place.

It's only the gold reserved seats that are in the general stands. You think it's 15,000 gold reserved seat club members. I'm happy to see your proof on this. Send me with that evidence because a lot of what you claim seems to just be your opinions and you offer next to facts.

Basically this is the process that you think happens.

AFL fan: "Oh hey, I hear the Swans are the biggest club in Sydney."

Swans Reserved Seat Club Member: "Damn straight! I'm their biggest fan too! We're huuuuuuggggeee!"

AFL fan: "Wanna go see the game at the SCG? You have a reserved seat!"

Swans Reserved Seat Club Member: "Nah f**k that shit."

Hence thousands of empty seats every game.

I love how your justification of the Swans being popular is based on the idea of their own fans not showing up to watch games.

 

[stratocaster]

As posted to the other thread - strictly speaking not entirely true - AFL averages dropped with the introduction of GWS/GOld Coast but have been trending gradually upward, but NRL growth is amazing since COVID.

View attachment 112142View attachment 112143

I'm not sure what your training in data analytics is. Take covid out of this, it's an outlier.

Do you know what a line of resistance is? Can you not see those peaks for the AFL in 2008 and 2010?
It's clearly hitting the same ceiling now.

I'm not sure why you guys can blame this on the Suns and Giants. Those teams didn't come in until 2011 & 2012. The first point of resistance was 3 years earlier.

And you can see the AFL hit the same line of resistance in 2024 and then pulled down in 2025.

I'm telling you now ignore that little uptick for 2026. The line will go side ways or down for 2026.

The NRL has been setting a new line of resistance every single year since 2022. It makes a new high and then goes further the next year. That is growth.

You can say the AFL has grown its aggregate. I never denied that. You're going to do that when six years ago they played 198 games. Now they play 207. Similarly, the NRL went from 194 to 204.

In the same time span, NRL increased their aggregate by 1.4 million people. The AFL increased theirs by 0.7 million.

Do some maths and incorporate crowd averages into the equation and you'll realise that only 0.1 million of the aggregate growth since 2019 was caused by the NRL game total increase. 1.3 million was driven by purely by crowd growth.

Whereas 0.39 million of the AFL's 0.7 million aggregate growth is purely from increasing the total number of games. Only 0.21 million was driven by crowd averages increasing.

 

[Yosemite Sam]

The Swans have around 30k fans in Sydney. Most of them Victorian expats but hats off to them for attending every game.

Every single NRL club in Sydney has well over 100k fans. Most have many more. Even the Cronulla Sharks.

Saying the Swans have the biggest supporter base in Sydney is laughable. And the ratings reflect that.

 

[Barney Stubble]

It wasn't really two games, there was only one game broadcast into each market.
The Cats v Dogs match was a fizzer with the home side building an insurmountable lead early in the game.
The Swans v Giants derby was a great spectacle played in front of a sold out SCG. Unfortunately, lightning near the field caused a lengthy delay at half time which impacted ratings. I switched over to watch the 2nd half of Dolphins v Panthers which went into Golden Point. Many NSW viewers may have done likewise.

but but but

 

[Barney Stubble]

Balderdash.

plastic fake comp , giving leg ups to nepo baby projects in NSW & QLD for 30 years now

 

[beave]

If the Swans are so "big", why the $3.1m loss last season whilst also needing $25.5m from the AFL??

 

[i0Nic]

plastic fake comp , giving leg ups to nepo baby projects in NSW & QLD for 30 years now

Yep when you artificially boost the nsw and qld teams and they top the ladder again and again it makes a total mockery of the ‘’competition’

 

[storm1999]

Yep when you artificially boost the nsw and Alf teams and they top the ladder again and again it makes a total mockery of the ‘’competition’

You take every chance to belittle and undermine the Swans success, yet display a South Melbourne heritage jumper as your profile pic...

 

[storm1999]

Every single NRL club in Sydney has well over 100k fans. Most have many more.

Yet only 15k of them could be bothered going to Accor Stadium last night to see two local teams play? Some "fans".

 

[i0Nic]

You take every chance to belittle and undermine the Swans success, yet display a South Melbourne heritage jumper as your profile pic...

You take every chance to belittle and undermine anything rugby league, in a rugby league discussion forum - what are you doing here again?

South who?

 

[i0Nic]

Yet only 15k of them could be bothered going to Accor Stadium last night to see two local teams play? Some "fans".

See here

 

[BuffaloRules]

Yet only 15k of them could be bothered going to Accor Stadium last night to see two local teams play? Some "fans".

Too focused on crowds ….Fail …

 

[Foreign Legion]

t

If the Swans are so "big", why the $3.1m loss last season whilst also needing $25.5m from the AFL??

Think big spend big