Football is having a moment in Australia, and it’s not just about the goals on the pitch. With nearly 10 million Australians engaging with Paramount’s football coverage spanning the A-Leagues, Socceroos, and Matildas, the sport has become a powerful commercial platform that is irresistible to advertisers eager to tap into passionate, multicultural fan bases.
Ten sports presenter Tara Rushton, director of sports production at Paramount, Adam Cush, and Nick Bower, general manager of ad sales at Paramount Australia, chatted with B&T on how this surge in engagement is translating into tangible commercial momentum, as brands recognise the sport’s ability to reach a wide demographic.
“Football is truly a world sport that connects with a broad range of audiences, including the young and old, plus families across diverse cultures and ethnicities,” said Bower. “Just look at the key sponsors of Subway and CommBank for our national teams. That shows how wide-ranging the commercial categories are for football and the depth of opportunity for brands.”
Indeed, Paramount’s data reveals that fan engagement is at an all-time high. The Isuzu UTE A-League Men competition is enjoying its highest attendance trajectory since 2016-17, with crowds up 11 per cent year-on-year. Six clubs recorded growth in attendance for the 2024-25 season. Broadcast audiences have surged too: TV ratings on Network 10 climbed 8 per cent YoY, while 10 Play’s BVOD viewership rose 20 per cent.
And it’s not just the men’s game experiencing a renaissance. The Ninja A-League Women has seen over 244,000 fans attend matches this season, doubling the next best-attended season outside of last year’s record. This year saw the highest number of free-to-air broadcasts since 2021-22, with matches on 10 Bold reaching an average of 102,000 Australians. The Grand Final, in particular, was a breakout moment; audience numbers were up more than 300 per cent on the season average, showcasing the ever-growing pulling power of the women’s game.
For Rushton, the sport’s rise has been years in the making.
“Football is the highest participated sport in this country, and more people are playing it across all ages than ever before,” she said. “What’s changed is visibility. Players are becoming household names. And when fans connect with a player or a team, they’re more likely to buy merchandise, listen to a podcast, attend a game, and become lifelong supporters”.
“These incredible athletes, who just happen to be female, now have the spotlight they deserve. They’re getting more media coverage, more space in the headlines, and they’re even leading sports bulletins. That’s why telling their stories is vital. Watching the A-League Women’s Grand Final, I felt proud to be part of this game… the ones earning Matildas call-ups and making names for themselves, they are homegrown Australian talent – proof the A-Leagues provide a pathway to the national team and is building the stars of the future”.
That storytelling power is being leveraged through new content innovations. “We tried new things this season,” Rushton said, referencing Football Tonight, presented by Ninja.
“It’s the first time we’ve had a football show with special guests across other sports and entertainment, talking about their love for football. It’s fun, accessible, and part of our Saturday night double-header blending entertainment and football to build a whole night around the A-League.”.
Cush said this full-spectrum approach is deliberate. “There’s no off-switch for football fans, they just can’t get enough,” he said. “We’ve built a content ecosystem that includes A-League matches, Socceroos and Matildas fixtures, European Cup competitions like the Coppa Italia and Scottish Cup, and original shows. Whether it’s The Weekly Kick-Off on Wednesday nights or our upcoming Wrexham friendlies, we’re feeding the appetite with premium content year-round.”
That content engine is backed by robust commercial strategies. “In the A-Leagues, we’ve maintained solid market interest with a majority of returning integrated sponsors year-on-year across a wide variety of categories,” Bower said.
He highlighted Isuzu UTE’s “holistic, whole-of-ecosystem approach” and Ninja’s naming rights deal with the women’s league as standout examples of brand synergy. “Paramount+ has a mountain of football and more integration opportunities than ever before. It plays a massive role for brands to ensure they have an association with football across all of Paramount’s content ecosystem as well as access to audiences nationwide”.
The Matildas and Socceroos are also breaking new ground. In the past year, the Matildas reached 5.8 million Australians, with viewership on Paramount+ up 63 per cent year-on-year. The Socceroos reached 4.3 million, achieving their biggest audience ever on 10 Play and posting a 66 per cent lift in minutes viewed on Paramount+.
“We’re extremely pleased to have a diverse range of brands involved in the upcoming CommBank Matildas matches, with very limited opportunities remaining for upcoming broadcasts,” Bower said.
“Along with live in-game integrations and a broad range of commercial assets including squeezebacks, billboards, TVCs and more, they successfully amplify the commercial impact of their brand and connection to the sport at all touchpoints”.
As the momentum builds, Paramount is already planning for the next wave. “We’re in a privileged position,” Cush said. “Next year we’ll host the Women’s Asian Cup on home soil, and then we’re on the road to Brazil for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2027. There’s a real excitement internally over the next two years of content. And we’re always open to new opportunities to amplify football across our platforms”.
With the rapid evolution of the sport, Rushton said it is bringing in new fans all the time. “With so many new faces in both national teams and players that are playing in every league across the country, there’s really a boost and injection of new fans”.
“As teams evolve, so do their audiences. As the sport evolves and the teams evolve, you capture a whole bunch of new fans along the way. It’s a really exciting time for Australian football.”
And for brands, it’s a window of opportunity. Soccer’s surging numbers, passionate fan base, and year-round content offering are turning it into one of the more commercially viable and culturally significant platforms in Australian sport. Those who get in now are likely to score.
