Then we really need the AFL statistics lined up head to head against those you provided to see he real picture. We can only speculate what type of TV revenue Qld and NSW gets for the AFL. Has FR ever listed the AFL stats?
It would sure as hell look pretty bad if the Melbourne AFL TV revenue alone is more than the $501M Sydney has for RL.
And what if the AFL revenue is significantly more overall than RL?
Too many what ifs to read too much into one sides statistics without providing the other to compare.
since we dont have those stats, look at the relative TV ratings in those markets.
AFL in sydney and brisbane 50,000 average (including all games shown)
RL in sydney around 400,000 and 280,000 in sydney
So in sydney RL gets 89% of total viewers between the two and in brisbane its 85% of total viewers.
heres the thing you might not know - TV stations charge more for advertising for programs that have higher ratings
which ones do that in sydney