The AFL and NRL finals have well and truly captured the nation, with audiences coming in droves to watch the respective broadcasts on Seven and Nine.
The most watched game of the weekend came on Friday night between the Sydney Swans and the Fremantle Dockers. The AFL preliminary final in Sydney between the first and second placed sides drew in a mammoth reach of 3.7 million people and an average audience of 1.6 million.
Fans were treated to an absolute spectacle in the grand final qualifier with the Dockers charging home to a thrilling 12 point victory. The Swans controlled most of the match, holding a 28 point lead with a few minutes remaining in the third quarter. But when the full time hooter sounded that 28 point lead had disappeared into a deficit of 12 points.
The victory for the Dockers means the Western Australian side will have a chance to win its first ever flag.
Coming up against Fremantle on Saturday in the big dance is back-to-back premiers the Brisbane Lions. The reigning champions kicked themselves to a nail biting nine point win over Hawthorn in front of a national reach of 3.4 million people and an average audience of 1.5 million.
Over on Australia’s other extremely popular egg-shaped sport, the Newcastle Knights and Sydney Roosters booked themselves into the NRL’s preliminary finals. Both semi-finals individually received a reach of more than two million viewers, and an average audience of around one million.
Despite Sunday’s game between the Newcastle Knights and New Zealand Warriors attracting a large TV audience, The Block won the entertainment stakes with a reach of 2.6 million and an average audience of 1.5 million.
