Seven’s AFL Grand Final goes sky high
Saturday’s game soars, up 22% on 2022
The spectacular 2023 AFL season came to a heart-racing close on Saturday with Collingwood defeating the Brisbane Lions in the 2023 AFL Grand Final at the MCG, live, exclusive and free on Seven and 7plus.
The Seven Network’s coverage of the game reached a national audience of 4.98 million Australians on Channel 7 and 756,000 on 7plus.
The showdown between Collingwood and the Brisbane Lions is the most watched TV program in 2023 outside of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™, scoring an average total television audience of 3.75 million viewers, including 3.3 million viewers nationally and 2.47 million in the capital cities. An additional 441,000 viewers watched live on 7plus – the biggest ever audience for an AFL match on a streaming platform.
Seven’s 2023 AFL Grand Final total audience is up 22% on last year’s Final between the Geelong Cats and the Sydney Swans.
Collingwood’s epic four-point victory over Brisbane, which will go down in history as one of the greatest Grand Finals of all time, dominated its timeslot in the capital cities with a 92.2% share of viewers during the game, a 94.8% share of 25 to 54s and a 96.7% share in 16 to 39s.
In Melbourne, the Grand Final recorded a 97.4% share of viewers during the game, with Sydney recording a 79.5% share of viewers in its timeslot, and Brisbane a 87.9% share.
Managing Director Seven Melbourne and Head of Network Sport, Lewis Martin, said: “Seven’s live, free and exclusive coverage of the unmissable premiership decider reminds us of just how much we all love footy. It’s the passion of the fans that elevates footy from being a sport to a unique spectacle that unites the nation.
“The AFL is Australia’s number one winter sport, it’s a core part of our DNA, and Seven’s expert commentary, insights and coverage showcase the entertainment and exceptional competition of the AFL like no one else.”
Seven West Media Chief Revenue Officer, Kurt Burnette, said: “Seven’s AFL coverage reached an incredible 13.77 million viewers this season, once again delivering unrivalled reach, attention and addressability on a massive scale, across every demographic and every screen. Australia’s leading brands were showcased to 53% of Australians.
“Seven’s delivery of mass culture experiences will only continue as we head into the iconic Bathurst 1000 across Seven and 7plus in October next weekend, with exciting new seasons of SAS Australia, Big Brother and the Summer of Cricket, coming soon. The biggest change to sports streaming rights in recent history takes place next year, when Seven adds the full digital rights to AFL and cricket. That will bring massive audiences in 2024 and beyond across the screens of Seven, with the new rights unlocking the full audience potential of free sport for advertisers and brands.”
The huge audience numbers for the AFL Grand Final follow a highly successful 2023 Final Series.
Excluding the Grand Final, the Final Series reached 7.9 million Australian nationally, with an average broadcast audience on Seven of 1.1 million.
Seven’s AFL Grand Final
- AFL Grand Final: 3.75 million total viewers nationally. Reached 4.98 million on broadcast, 756,000 on 7plus.
- AFL Grand Final: Presentations: 3.66 million total viewers nationally. Reached 4.87 million on broadcast.
- AFL Grand Final: On The Ground: 2.74 million total viewers nationally.
- AFL Grand Final: Pre-Match entertainment: 1.2 million total viewers nationally.
- AFL Grand Final: Post Match: 323,000 total viewers nationally.
Seven Network is #1 nationally and in the capital cities so far in the OzTAM 2023 survey year, and #1 nationally in 25 to 54s and 16 to 39s.