The 2025 AFL Grand Final has cemented its spot as the year’s biggest TV event, drawing more than 4 million viewers nationally.

The 2025 AFL Grand Final has delivered the largest television audience of the year, with Seven’s live broadcast attracting a national total TV audience of 4.076 million viewers. While it did not surpass the long-standing highs of previous decades, it edged past last year’s result of 4.02 million.

The clash saw the Brisbane Lions claim the Premiership Cup over the Geelong Cats, in a match that also delivered historic digital numbers. Seven reported a record 969,000 viewers on 7plus Sport, up 48 per cent from the 655,000 who streamed the 2024 decider.

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The Post-Match Presentations were watched by 3.8 million nationally, with 884,000 streaming the coverage on 7plus Sport. The Pre-Game Show attracted 1.5 million, while the Grand Final Countdown drew 538,000, and the Grand Final Brunch settled on 408,000 viewers.

Seven said it controlled 81.1 per cent of the commercial TV audience share from 6am to 6pm on Saturday, with 7plus dominating BVOD viewing at 86.7 per cent and live streaming at 90.9 per cent.

Top sport broadcasts of 2025

The 2025 AFL Grand Final leads the year’s ratings race on 4.076 million viewers, narrowly outpacing the NRL State of Origin III, which drew 3.961 million.

The AFL Grand Final Presentations averaged 3.798 million, followed by NRL State of Origin I with 3.791 million viewers.

AFL Grand Final TV ratings history

The 2025 result of 4.08 million continues a strong run for the AFL’s showcase event, nudging ahead of the 2024 Grand Final, which pulled 4.02 million viewers nationwide. That Brisbane–Sydney clash was tipped to break records, but the Lions’ early dominance blunted Sydney’s audience, which slumped to 464,000, well down on the 616,000 who tuned in for the Swans’ 2012 win over Hawthorn.

In 2023, the Collingwood–Brisbane Grand Final drew 3.75 million viewers, while the 2022 Geelong–Sydney clash delivered a decade low of 2.96 million, as the Cats overwhelmed the Swans.

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The 2021 Grand Final from Perth, featuring Melbourne’s win over the Western Bulldogs, averaged 4.16 million viewers, the biggest result since 2016. The COVID-affected 2020 decider between Richmond and Geelong, played in Brisbane, still reached 3.812 million nationwide.

The 2019 Grand Final, which saw Richmond demolish GWS by 89 points, managed 2.939 million, the lowest result of the modern era. The 2018 thriller, when West Coast edged Collingwood, pulled 3.378 million, while the 2017 Richmond–Adelaide Grand Final averaged 3.524 million.

The 2016 Western Bulldogs–Sydney Grand Final delivered 4.089 million, with 3.039 million in the five-city metro market and 534,000 in Sydney alone — one of the league’s strongest northern ratings performances.

Seven executives hail broadcast success

Seven’s Head of AFL and Sport Innovation, Gary O’Keeffe, described the day as a milestone for the network:

“Following record breaking audiences, once again Australian football has solidified itself as Australia’s favourite winter sport and we couldn’t be prouder to broadcast every minute of the 2025 AFL Grand Final live, free and exclusively on Seven and 7plus.

Once again, Chris Fagan’s side proved they were too strong on Australian sport’s biggest day of the year and on top of that, to see Will Ashcroft claim his second Norm Smith Medal was remarkable.

Throughout the entire season, our 7AFL team both in front of, and behind the camera has worked tirelessly to provide Australians with the best possible broadcast, live and free on Seven and 7plus Sport.

With 12 hours of live and free coverage on Grand Final Day, which spanned every corner of the MCG and more, we are thrilled that Australian audiences were captivated from 7.00am with Weekend Sunrise, all the way through to the post match celebrations and 7NEWS.

We want to thank every viewer who has joined us across the season. From the opening bounce at the SCG, right through to the Grand Final post-match celebrations, Australians have embraced Seven and 7plus in record numbers. As we continue with a stellar AFLW season and Finals Series, we also look forward to returning earlier in February for AFL Origin, live and free on Seven and 7plus.”

Seven Network Director of Sport, Chris Jones, said the result capped off a landmark year:

“Yesterday’s record result across Seven and 7plus Sport was a fitting end to an incredible 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season.

With a seven-day of the week strategy, we were bold in our ambitions for AFL coverage in 2025 and we’re thrilled to have delivered the biggest and best moments, including yesterday’s historic AFL Grand Final live and free to all Australians on Seven and 7plus Sport, Your Home of Footy.

As we look ahead to an epic upcoming spring and summer of sport, headlined by the Bathurst 1000, the spring racing carnival, a mega AFL Women’s season and the most anticipated Summer of Cricket in recent memory, Australian viewers are covered all year round, with the best live and free sport available right here on Seven and 7plus Sport.”

Group Managing Director, Seven Digital, Gereurd Roberts, said the record streaming result highlighted changing viewing patterns:

“Yesterday’s record audience on 7plus is not only a demonstration of the combination of exceptional content and user experience, but shows how Seven is redefining the way Australians consume live sport.

It was a fitting way to finish our first season of digital AFL rights, with almost a million new users signing up to the platform since the start of the season in March. And now we have the Bathurst 1000 and a home Ashes series to look forward to.

The surge in our 7plus audience through the year – driven by premium sport with AFL and cricket, the best news and entertainment, and our premium on-demand lineup – is not only reshaping user behaviour but opening up exciting new opportunities for our clients and agency partners to connect with viewers in more meaningful ways.”

Seven’s National Television Sales Director, Katie Finney, pointed to the advertising value of the coverage:

“There’s no better platform to connect with audiences than the AFL Grand Final. Once again, it demonstrated its dominance by delivering an exceptional audience, solidifying its status as the #1 winter sport for both viewers and brands.

Seven’s AFL coverage reached an impressive 17.4 million viewers this season, offering unmatched reach and engagement across all demographics and screens. Free, live sport is where brands can connect with audiences and cultural moments at scale.

The biggest events this summer are on Seven and 7plus Sport, including the upcoming Bathurst 1000 in two weeks and the first Ashes Test match between Australia and England starting on November 21.”

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