Foxtel and Kayo have reported their highest-ever audience for an AFL regular season match, following a record-breaking Brisbane v Collingwood clash.
Super Saturday night AFL broadcasts on Foxtel and Kayo have drawn significant audiences, with the latest coverage of the Brisbane v Collingwood fixture achieving record viewership figures for the pay television and streaming platforms.
According to The Foxtel Group, the match was the most-watched AFL regular season game on its platforms, as well as the fourth most-watched game when including Finals.
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It was also described as the most-streamed AFL game ever across both Foxtel and Kayo services.
The strong audience numbers arrive at a time when the AFL’s recently-commenced broadcast agreement remains a subject of public debate. The seven-year broadcast deal, signed in 2022 and beginning in 2025, extends through to 2031.
The agreement is valued at an estimated $4.5 billion in cash and contra, with the Foxtel Group understood to contribute more than 70 per cent of the total.
The new broadcast arrangement provides exclusive live coverage of Saturday AFL games to Fox Footy and Kayo (particularly in Victoria), leading to criticism from some fans regarding the reduced access to live matches on free-to-air television.
The AFL has defended the agreement, poitinting to the increased number of Thursday and Sunday primetime matches available on free-to-air television. The league maintains that the overall number of free-to-air games offered to viewers will remain consistent with previous seasons under the new deal.
2025 will feature 23 Thursday night games available on free-to-air television, an increase from 14 in the previous year.
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