Seven’s AFL grand final coverage saw a downswing of 800,000 eyeballs from last year, proving a prime-time spot could be the recipe for the most eyeballs.
According to OzTam, this year, the game brought in 2,179,000 viewers and was the worst viewing numbers since 2001. In comparison, last year, the grand final, which saw the Melbourne Demons play for the championship for the first time in fifty-seven years and beat the Western Bulldogs, brought in a whooping 3,006,000 viewers.
This year’s game was absolutely heartbreaking for Swans supporters. The Geelong Cats slaughtered the Sydney Swans – it was bloody brutal.
Cats finished on 133 points, and Swans finished on a measly 52 points.
Despite the brutal loss for the Swans. The big question is, why such a downswing? The game was getting plenty of buzz in the lead-up.
Well, it’s worth noting that our last grand final was during the lockdown, so there was basically nothing to do besides watch sport. Plus, last year’s game aired during prime time, whereas this final started in the arvo.
Seven West Media’s managing director and chief executive officer, James Warburton, told B&T: “We will always support the decisions the AFL makes for the fans.
“The numbers and comparisons are clear for all to see to support a primetime AFL Grand Final. It’s a national game, and a twilight or primetime bounce will maximise the audience for the code.”
It’s also incredibly interesting to know that despite rumours the AFL’s Grand Final could pull more eyeballs than The Queen’s funeral, it didn’t come close.
Seven’s Queen coverage peaked at 975,000 viewers. Nine’s funeral coverage pulled in 879,000 viewers, and ABC’s royal funeral coverage bought in 708,000 viewers. Plus, SBS’s coverage amounted to 3.2 million viewers in Australia.
While Swans Vs Cats only just hit over 2 million. Surely, this is not could news for Peter Fitzsimons’s quest to make Australia a republic.
