Stan Pay-Per-View has delivered a record-breaking broadcast with the long-awaited clash between former NRL players Paul Gallen and Sonny Bill Williams, reportedly setting new highs for sales, reach and engagement.
Streaming live from Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena, the eight-round war ended in a split decision victory for Paul Gallen, who edged out Williams on two of the three judges’ scorecards. While the fight itself stirred debate among fans and experts, the real winner on the night was Stan, whose Pay-Per-View platform reached new commercial and audience milestones.
“Last night’s fight was a knockout success, setting new records for sales, reach and engagement across Stan Pay-Per-View – a standout result that underscores our unmatched ability to deliver the biggest moments through best-in-class media, marketing and promotional firepower,” said Ben Kimber, director of Stan Sport.
“From the rivalry and drama to the hype reels and live moments, every part of this event and lead up campaign delivered – and audiences responded in force. Our coverage reached millions, and we saw record engagement across social and owned channels in the lead-up and throughout fight night”.
According to Kimber, this is what Nine and the Stan streaming platform is uniquely built for. “Delivering premium content to audiences at scale”.
“I also want to acknowledge Sonny Bill Williams, Paul Gallen, TEG Sport and DUCO Events who worked with us as genuine partners in the event, continuing a better and new way forward for sport in Australia with Nine Entertainment,” he said.
The fight itself was a fitting crescendo to a rivalry that had simmered for more than a decade. Gallen took the win 77-74 and 76-75 on two scorecards, while Williams earned a 77-74 nod from the third judge.
After the fight, Gallen, who is also a season NRL presenter for the Nine Network played it cool: ”I got the win, that’s all that matters. It will be there forever. Sonny just came up and said he wants to have a coffee man-to-man and I’ll honour that. I’ve had my fights. I’ve finished my fights. I’ve moved on with life. I’m not going to bring this up or talk about it, or carry on. If I get asked about it in the next couple of days I’ll answer the questions, but I won’t gloat. It’s been a long time coming. I got the job done”.
