The Australian National Rugby League Grand Final on Sunday (3 October) was the most-watched edition for five years, drawing a total audience of 3.59 million across the TV output of the free-to-air Nine Network, the Australian commercial broadcaster, and its on-demand streaming service 9Now.
The match, which saw Penrith Panthers run out winners over South Sydney Rabbitohs at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, attracted 630,000 more viewers than last year's edition and almost one million more than that of 2019.
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The metro audience peaked at 2.2 million on Nine, the regional audience at 1.03 million and the 9Now audience 363,000, which is the largest-ever audience on a broadcast video-on-demand service in Australia.
Brent Williams, director of sport at Nine, said: “Nine’s total television approach has seen our traditional linear broadcast complemented by the continued growth of 9Now as a premium destination for big sporting events.
“We are thrilled with the phenomenal result which has capped off a truly remarkable rugby league season.”
Sunday's match was the first time the Grand Final has been held away from its usual Sydney location, having been moved due to coronavirus restrictions in New South Wales.
It was suggested last week that the venue might have had to be changed again due to a coronavirus outbreak in Brisbane, but that did not prove to be the case in the end.
Despite there being a reduced crowd capacity, the event saw over 39,000 fans in attendance.
