The roar of Australian rules football returned in spectacular fashion as the 2026 AFL Premiership Season kicked off with a massive Opening Round audience across Seven and 7plus Sport. The first weekend of footy reached an impressive 4.3 million Australians, marking a strong start to the new season and a 3.5 percent increase in the average total TV audience compared with last year.
Seven’s live and free broadcasts on Thursday, Friday and Sunday nights delivered a combined average national TV audience of 655,000, up from 633,000 in 2025, showing that footy remains one of the most powerful draws on Australian television.
Streaming audiences also surged. 7plus Sport recorded a 135 percent increase in viewers compared with last year, with Thursday Night Football setting a new milestone as the most streamed regular AFL season game ever on Seven’s digital platform.
The blockbuster Carlton vs Sydney Swans clash at the SCG on Thursday night proved to be the highlight of the weekend. The match reached 2.21 million viewers nationally and achieved an average total TV audience of 791,000, a 21 percent increase on last year and the biggest Opening Round audience since the concept was introduced three years ago. Online, the game averaged 133,000 viewers on 7plus Sport, marking the first time a regular season AFL game on the platform surpassed 100,000 viewers.
Friday night’s matchup between the Gold Coast Suns and Geelong Cats also delivered strong numbers, reaching 1.95 million people nationwide and averaging 608,000 viewers, including 110,000 on 7plus Sport, representing a 106 percent year on year increase.
Meanwhile, the St Kilda vs Collingwood showdown at the MCG attracted 1.81 million viewers, with a national audience of 577,000, while more than 82,000 fans packed the stadium to witness Collingwood edge out a thrilling victory.
Seven’s Head of AFL and Innovation, Gary O’Keeffe, described the opening weekend as an incredible start to the season, while National Sport Sales Director Rob Maclean highlighted the growing power of live sport and streaming audiences in Australia. Together, the results underline one clear message: footy is back and bigger than ever.
