It’s been a huge few weeks of sport, with the AFL and NRL coming to a triumphant close with two weekends of blockbuster clashes. But who won the war? In the battle between AFL and NRL, who came out on top?
The AFL reigned victorious in total viewers with a record-breaking total TV national average audience of 4,024,000 tuning in for the final match between Sydney Swans and Brisbane Lions. The NRL final match-up between the Penrith Panthers and Melbourne Storm raked in a still impressive but the lower average audience of 3,422,000.
On BVOD, however, it was the NRL that hit it out of the park with a national BVOD average audience of 762,000 tuning in to see Penrith take home their fourth consecutive premiership trophy, just trumping AFL’s turnout of 655,000.
AFL maintained its dominance across the 25-54 demographic, with an average audience of 1,593,000 watching as Brisbane embarrassed Sydney from the first minute of the game, just beating the NRL’s 1,485,000. Again on BVOD, NRL won the competition with a higher average BVOD audience of 480,000 as opposed to the AFL’s 394,000.
Across the 16-39 demographic, the stats remain largely the same, with AFL dominating live coverage and NRL taking the lead in streaming.
The Big Picture
The AFL decider posted was the most-watched TV program in 2024 and the most streamed AFL encounter in history, according to Seven.
Seven was thrilled with how much the 7plus has audience has grown in only a year, up by 44 per cent on the AFL grand final in 2023. Seven Digital group managing director Gereurd Roberts said the record-breaking figures who watched the AFL Grand Final on 7plus Sport would “forever change the way Australians watch and engage with sport, and create unprecedented opportunities for our clients and agency partners”.
“We’ve always said the arrival of AFL and cricket on 7plus would be a defining moment in the digital streaming revolution, and Saturday’s numbers prove that,” he added. “With a massive summer of cricket to come, including five Tests between Australia and India, Australians can now watch every Seven sport, live and free on any device from anywhere in the country, at any time”.
While the NRL may have lost the battle of footy finals, it did see a massive increase in viewership of 17% year on year for Nine. Last year’s NRL final match-up between the Penrith Panthers and the Brisbane Broncos recorded an average audience of 2.9 million as opposed to this year’s 3.42 million.
“The NRL Grand Final was another brilliant example of the power of Total Television. The combination of Live broadcast and live streaming television delivered a Total TV reach of 5.3M and an average audience of 3.4M. 762,000 people watched the Panthers claim their 4th win in a row on 9Now, the highest streaming number for a GF ever and growth of 26% year on year,” said Michael Stephenson, chief sales officer and managing director – local markets at Nine.
“As brands seek demand generation at the top of the funnel, to balance an over reliance on performance based channels, the NRL grand final delivered record audiences for our partners and sponsors. The NRL Grand final was a great example of the Power of Total Television. The combination of Live broadcast, live streaming and on demand TV. The most powerful platform for brands to deliver better business results”.
Ten largest TV events of 2024 (ranked by average audience)
| Network | Program | Total TV Reach | Total TV Average Audience |
| 1. Seven | AFL Grand Final | 6.09 million | 4.02 million |
| 2. Nine | State of Origin III | 5.40 million | 3.65 million |
| 3. Nine | State of Origin I | 5.31 million | 3.44 million |
| 4. Nine | NRL Grand Final | 5.35 million | 3.42 million |
| 5. Nine | State of Origin II | 5.19 million | 3.26 million |
| 6. Nine | Paris Olympics Day 2 Night | 5.74 million | 2.33 million |
| 7. Nine | Australian Open Men’s Final | 4.77 million | 2.12 million |
| 8. Nine | Paris Olympics Day 3 Night | 5.69 million | 2.06 million |
| 9. Nine | Paris Olympics Day 4 Night | 5.46 million | 2.04 million |
| 10. Nine | Paris Olympics Day 9 Night | 4.98 million | 1.97 million |
Overall, this year’s AFL and NRL seasons smashed records across the board. As finals season got underway, Foxtel Group announced that this season of both games was the most watched in history. This was the seventh consecutive year of growth for the NRL and the third for the AFL.
Collectively, the 2024 AFL season recorded nine of the top 10 most-watched regular season rounds of all time across the Foxtel Group.
Fremantle v Port Adelaide and Carlton v St Kilda in round 24 were the most watched regular season games in 2024 and of all time across Foxtel Group as audiences flocked to our platforms to see which teams would make the final eight in 2024. Round 24 was also the most streamed round of the season on Kayo Sports, while Collingwood, Carlton and Essendon were the most-watched teams across Foxtel Group platforms.
“Anchoring our coverage is our philosophy and commitment to unrivalled access, world-class vision and expert commentary and analysis that keeps bringing audiences back for more. It’s been an exceptional year for the AFL on Fox Footy, and we have enjoyed bringing every minute of the action to audiences on Kayo Sports and Foxtel. Bring on the Finals,” said general manager of Fox Footy Michael Neill.
In 2024, NRL kicked off its season in Las Vegas with the Sea Eagles v Rabbitohs game, exclusive on Fox League, followed by the Roosters v Broncos game. Both games smashed viewership records and are the two most-watched games of all time across Foxtel Group platforms. The coverage, which was Logie-nominated, also drove the biggest single day of sign-ups on Kayo Sports.
The momentum continued throughout the season, with Magic Round delivering the highest-ever audience for a regular season round across the Foxtel Group. The nail-biting Sharks v Roosters game during the round was the third most-watched game of the season. Overall, the Broncos, Storm and Roosters were the most-watched teams.
“2024 was record-breaking season in many ways. From Las Vegas to Magic Round, right to the final whistle of the regular season, with the Knights v Dolphins game determining the last spot in the top 8, we have enjoyed bringing the very best of the sport to audiences nationwide. Congratulations to the NRL and teams on a successful year,” said Fox Sports managing director Steve Crawley.
“This season, we supercharged the Kayo Sports experience with the introduction of 4K for our exclusive NRL games. Combined with our ad-free during live play proposition, expert analysis and commentary and world-class Fox League coverage, this brought more fans than ever to our platforms as they discovered the incredible value we offer,” said Kayo Sports chief executive officer Julian Ogrin.
Women’s Sport On The Rise
While it’s not possible to compare the NRLW to the AFLW, with the AFLW season still underway, it is worth noting the impressive turnout for the NRLW final.
The 2023 NRLW grand final between the Newcastle Knights and Gold Coast Titans was, at the time, the most-watched game in the competition’s history on television and streaming, recording a total figure of 794,000 viewers. Despite changes in the way that viewership is reported over the last year that make a clear comparison difficult, it does appear as though the numbers were up significantly this year, with the NRLW recording a total TV national reach of 1,452,000.
The NRLW Grand Final also recorded the highest-ever BVOD Audience for the Women’s Grand Final at 101,000.
“The NRL continues to invest in the NRLW and the results speak for themselves. The NRLW Grand Final was an incredible game and fans loved it. Audiences on 9Now grew by 15%, once again proving the power of live streaming and Total television,” said Stephenson.
Searching For The Next Home Of NRL
With two years still remaining in the NRL’s current broadcast deal with Foxtel and Nine Entertainment, Rugby league bosses Peter V’landys and Andrew Abdo are set to accelerate negotiations for a new multibillion-dollar broadcast deal,
The league’s leadership is keen to capitalise on its recent success, including record audience growth and the addition of two new clubs by the end of the decade. Sources familiar with the situation suggest negotiations could begin within weeks, contingent on the finalisation of the NRL’s expansion plans. “Naturally, we would expect any future NRL media rights deal would reflect the strong growth the code has experienced in recent seasons and the passionate following fans have for the game,” said Abdo.
However, the next round of discussions is expected to be challenging due to shifting industry dynamics. Traditional media companies, including Nine and Foxtel, are grappling with rising costs and a weaker advertising market. These financial strains have led to leadership changes, such as the recent departure of Nine’s chief executive, Mike Sneesby. Furthermore, potential government regulations on gambling advertising during major sporting events could reduce significant revenue streams for both sports organisations and broadcasters. Adding to the uncertainty, Foxtel, the NRL’s primary broadcast partner, is reportedly up for sale, and Nine is operating under an interim CEO.
Despite these challenges, the NRL is in a favourable position compared to previous years. The league’s total revenue reached $701 million in 2023, an 18% increase, while viewership numbers for both free-to-air and subscription TV grew significantly. These gains, particularly the success of marquee events like the State of Origin, enhance the league’s appeal to advertisers and broadcasters alike.
As V’landys and Abdo prepare for negotiations, they are expected to explore non-traditional avenues, such as international streaming services and exclusive digital rights, to maximise revenue. The introduction of more games and new timeslots could add value to the media rights package. The NRL has already hinted at ambitious changes, such as a potential conference system and a player draft, to further enhance the sport’s marketability. While traditional broadcasters like Nine may struggle with the financial demands of securing the rights, tech giants like Amazon could emerge as competitive bidders.
