Michael Maguire’s show stopping Brisbane Broncos have not only taken out the NRL grand final, but has lifted Nine’s broadcast into the record books becoming the highest rated NRL grand final of all time.
The high scoring, intense thriller brought in an incredible national total TV reach of 6.4 million and a national total TV average audience of 4.5 million, making the 2025 grand final Australia’s number one program of the year, edging out both the AFL grand final (6.1 million) and State of Origin game three decider (3.9 million).
The game itself deserved the ratings it received, with two high-octane attacking sides throwing everything at each other, creating for one of the most entertaining grand finals ever served up for rugby league die hards and casual fans alike.
Melbourne Storm led the Broncos 22-12 at half-time thanks to some brilliance of the right edge. However, the 10-point lead wasn’t healthy enough for Craig Bellamy’s team, ultimately being run down by a gritty Brisbane side, led by fullback Reece Walsh who had his hands in everything.
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The high ratings could be put down to not only a must-watch, entertaining grand final, but also the fact that not a single Sydney side was involved. Which resulted in Melbourne and Brisbane bringing in a combined average audience of 1.7 million.
The records continued to tumble with the match smashing BVOD records, capturing an audience of 1.316 million on 9Now alone, making it the highest rating BVOD event in VOZ history. And the NRLW grand final between the Roosters and the Broncos also broke the record for the women’s sport, capturing a total TV audience of 1.032 million. The match between the Brisbane Broncos and the Sydney Roosters did so well in the ratings it even edged out the Bledisloe Cup between the Wallabies and All Blacks (893,000) the night before.
These stunning numbers cap off one of the most successful NRL seasons of all time, in terms of TV viewing figures, with the 2025 season recording significant growth across all iterations and on all screens.
The 2025 NRL regular season including the final series has seen growth of 11.5 per cent on total TV, recording a national total TV average audience of 614,000 per match (the highest for a NRL Season in VOZ history).
The NRL finals series has recorded its highest audience in VOZ History with over 1.1 million people tuning into every game (up 33.3 per cent year-on-year) on Nine.
The NRL have stated that six of the nine NRL finals matches sold out, with attendance records broken across each of the four weeks, as well as record television ratings beating all other sporting codes.
The Broncos vs Panthers preliminary final delivered a historic result—setting a new record as the most-watched single broadcast in Foxtel Group history across all sports with 943,000 viewers, alongside a record-breaking 1.76 million viewers on Nine. The Storm v Sharks prelim was the second most watched NRL match on Fox in history.
All four weeks of the finals delivered record viewership:
- Week one Australian total audience: 6.4 million (up 27 per cent YoY); NZ total audience: 422 thousand (up 39 per cent YoY)
- Week two Australian Total Audience: 3.6 million (up 34 per cent YoY); NZ total audience: 205 thousand (up 80 per cent YoY)
- Week three Australian total audience: 5.0 million (up 36 per cent YoY); NZ Total Audience: 241 thousand (up 19 per cent YoY)
Two key areas of the 16-39 demographic and digital engagement across all formats have exploded across the 2025 season. Finals viewership for 16-39 audiences across the first three weeks of the finals series increased by 54 per cent, according to the NRL.
Across the NRL regular season, 16-39 audiences for free-to-air were up 18 per cent for Thursday nights, 27 per cent for Friday nights and 5 per cent for Sunday afternoons. The trend continued for State of Origin with the key demographic viewership up 19 per cent across the three games.
People didn’t just tune in in record numbers to the finals series. For the regular home and away season in 2025, audiences grew 7.7 per cent on total TV, 4.2 per cent on broadcast TV and 34.9 per cent on BVOD.
“This year’s phenomenal ratings are a testament to Nine’s unwavering commitment to being the true home of rugby league. We believe the greatest game of all should be accessible to everyone, and by providing that universal, free-to-air access, we are helping to grow the sport’s fan base in every corner of the country. To see that commitment reflected in record-breaking audience numbers is incredibly rewarding,” said Amanda Laing, Nine’s managing director of streaming and broadcast.
“Our passion for the game extends beyond the 80 minutes on the field. This season, we have invested more than ever in telling the stories at the heart of rugby league – profiling the incredible athletes, the dedicated coaches, and the passionate fans that make this sport what it is. By bringing these human stories to life across all our platforms, we are giving viewers a deeper connection to the game they love.
“This success would not be possible without the incredible collaboration we have with the NRL. Immense credit goes to Peter V’landys and Andrew Abdo for their leadership and shared vision. We are proud of our close partnership and thank them for working with us to deliver this landmark season to the Australian public.”
“I want to extend a sincere thank you to the players, coaches and clubs. Not only have their world-class performances captivated the nation, but their generosity in providing access for interviews and features has allowed us to showcase the personalities and stories behind the game. That partnership is invaluable for bringing fans closer to their heroes,” added Brent Williams, Nine’s director of sport.
“Finally, I couldn’t be prouder of our team at Nine’s Wide World of Sports. Their tireless work and passion for storytelling have raised the bar for sports broadcasting in this country, and this season’s success is a fantastic recognition of their collective effort.”
The regular season may be over, but rugby league’s momentum is far from slowing down. With the Rugby League Ashes and Pacific Championships still to come, demand for the game is at an all-time high.
Off the back of record audiences and packed stadiums, rights partners and broadcasters can expect a huge return on investment as fans continue to tune in.
