A controversial 22-20 NSW victory produced the goods for Nine last night. Game one of State of origin secured a national total TV reach of 5.771 million and a total TV audience of 3.995 million – up 6.2 per cent year-on-year. This is the highest total TV result for a State of Origin match in VOZ history.
The nail biting, intense thriller produced numbers similar to both the NRL and AFL grand finals. Last year the NRL GF raked in a huge reach of 6.4 million and a national total TV average audience of 4.5 million, which just edged out the AFL grand final (6.1 million).
Game one also recorded the highest ever BVOD audience of all time with 1.521 million streaming on 9Now (beating the previous overnight record of 978,000 set in Origin III 2025, which surpassed The Matildas v England World Cup semi-final). The BVOD numbers are up 57.6 per cent YoY.
Fans couldn’t get enough of game one as post match coverage was up 54.1 per cent YoY for total TV 128 per cent year-on-year on 9Now.
The match itself was highly entertaining with NSW stealing a two-point victory from the jaws of defeat. At one point of the match NSW was down 20-nil after conceding three tries in the first 16 minutes. QLD would hold the lead all the way up to the final two minutes before Blues fullback James Tedesco outleaped Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow to score a miracle try to win the game.
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The victory however, did not come without controversy. In the 57th minute QLD fullback Kalyn Ponga was sent off the field for a high tackle on outside back and Blues debutant Tolu Koula. This led to the Blues laying on 18 of its 22 points against a QLD side that played with one less player on the field.
Fans have taken to social media to express their frustrations. Their criticism of the call was the fact that Ponga should have been sent to the sin bin rather than being sent off. This would have meant Ponga would have returned to the field after serving his 10 minute punishment, instead of missing the remainder of the match.
“Nine is the home of Rugby League, and last night’s State of Origin audience demonstrates the unmatched power of Nine’s connected live sport ecosystem to deliver truly national moments at scale,” said Amanda Laing, managing director streaming and broadcast, Nine.
“The record-breaking streaming audience on 9Now, alongside strong Total TV growth year-on-year, reflects the continued evolution of audience behaviour and the growing demand for premium live sport experiences across every screen and every platform. Importantly, it reinforces the strength of Nine’s Total TV strategy, combining the scale of mass audiences with the accessibility and engagement of streaming to maximise reach, fandom and commercial impact around Australia’s biggest sporting moments.”
Over on Seven its most watched entertainment program of the evening was The Chase that aired before the State of Origin. It pulled in a reach of 1,508,000 and an average audience of 805,000.
And just missing out on the top 10 in last nights TV Ratings was Masterchef. Network 10’s program served its biggest audience since 2021.
