The Australian Open has finally come to its end after a highly intense and entertaining couple of weeks. For Nine, it basked in similar glory to grand slam champions Carlos Alcaraz and Elena Rybakina, reaching over 14.31 million Australians across the two week broadcast—an increase of 9.3 per cent year-on-year.  

Sunday’s 2026 Australian Open men’s final has posted dominant rankings, comparing to the likes of last year’s NRL and AFL grand finals. The final captivated the nation as Carlos Alcaraz claimed his maiden Australian Open title in a nail-biting showdown against Novak Djokovic, drawing a national reach of 6.302 million and a national total TV audience of 3.448 million—up 67 per cent year-on-year.

This sees the tennis men’s final only just edged out by both the AFL (6.4 million) and NRL (6.4 million) grand finals.

The ability to keep up with the two most arguably watched sporting events in Australia was reflected in the year-on-year momentum across all metro markets: Sydney grew 75.5 per cent (732,000 vs 417,000); Melbourne 57.2 per cent (954,000 vs 607,000); Brisbane 95.1 per cent (435,000 vs 223,000); Adelaide 75.9 per cent (204,000 vs 116,000); and Perth 77.3 per cent (195,000 vs 110,000)

However, where Nine saw its most significant growth was across BVOD. Alcaraz’s fierce onslaught of Djokovic was the highest-rating men’s final in VOZ history and the highest-rating AO session on BVOD ever, claiming 905,000 viewers—up 135.7 per cent year-on-year.

World number one dethroned by Elena Rybakina

The women’s final also dominated its respective night’s ratings. The match that featured a precise and powerful Elena Rybakina, who out muscled Aryna Sabalenka delivered a reach of 3.816 million viewers and an average audience of 2.135 million—up 30.1 per cent year-on-year. Fans haven’t turned to Nine in bigger numbers since the women’s final in 2022—the last time an Aussie (Ash Barty) took home one of the most prestigious trophies on the tennis tour.

Looking at the metro markets, alike the men’s final the women’s also had some significant year-on-year growth: Sydney grew 48.5 per cent (432,000 vs 291,000); Melbourne 34.5 per cent (627,000 vs 466,000); Brisbane 72.9 per cent (268,000 vs 155,000); Adelaide 26.8 per cent (123,000 vs 97,000); and Perth 6.3 per cent (84,000 vs 79,000).

The win not only secured Rybakina’s first Australian Open victory, but it also helped Nine clinch a BVOD audience of 500,000—up 106.6 per cent on last year.

Semi-final blockbusters working in Nine’s favour

The 2026 Australian Open day 13 night session, featuring the epic semi-final battle where Carlos Alcaraz claimed victory over Alexander Zverev, achieved a reach of 3.657 million viewers, a an average audience of 1.974 million (up 83.6 per cent on the same night last year) and a BVOD audience of 427,000—up 160.6 per cent year-on-year. These semi-final numbers can be attributed to a five and a half hour war between two of the best tennis players in the world.

The other men’s semi final broadcasted on the second night session of Day 13, featured Novak Djokovic fight to an incredible five set win over defending AO champion Jannik Sinner, and it recorded a reach of 3.209 million, an average audience of 1.757 million (up 65.9 per cent on the same night last year) and a BVOD audience of 456,000—up 151.9 per cent year-on-year.

“The 2026 Australian Open has once again proven it’s the undisputed king of the summer of sport. The energy was there from the get go – the ‘one-point slam’ during the pre-week was a massive moment that really ignited the fans early and set the stage for everything that followed,” said Brent Williams, Nine’s director of Sport.

“Seeing such huge year-on-year growth across the fortnight is a credit to the incredible athletes and the world-class production from our Wide World of Sports team. By partnering with Tennis Australia, we’ve delivered a multi-platform experience that brings fans closer to their heroes than ever.

“The Australian viewers have responded in record numbers, proving that Nine remains the premier destination for world-class sport.”

Nine quickly turns its attention to the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games.

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