Big Freeze 12 Delivers Record Audience as King’s Birthday Clash Reaches 1.98 Million Viewers – One of the AFL calendar’s most significant occasions has delivered another ratings success for Seven, with Big Freeze 12 and the traditional King’s Birthday clash between Collingwood and Melbourne attracting massive audiences across broadcast and streaming platforms.
Seven’s coverage of The Big Freeze at the G reached 1.34 million Australians on Seven and 7plus Sport, while recording a national total TV audience of 903,000 — an increase of 13 per cent on last year and the event’s biggest audience since the introduction of VOZ total TV ratings.
Following the pre-match festivities, the highly anticipated Collingwood v Melbourne encounter reached 1.98 million viewers nationally, delivering a total TV audience of 930,000. The audience was up seven per cent on last year’s match and 57 per cent higher than the 2026 AFL season-to-date average. Streaming audiences also surged, with 121,000 viewers tuning in via 7plus Sport, doubling the platform’s audience for the fixture compared with 2025.
Played before a crowd of 88,000 fans at the MCG, the match ranked as Australia’s most-watched sporting program of the day and was the top-rated sports broadcast nationally among viewers aged 25 to 54, 16 to 39 and grocery shoppers.
The 2026 edition of the Big Freeze held special significance, marking the first event since the passing of FightMND Co-Founder and Patron Neale Daniher AO. Seven’s pre-game coverage featured a tribute celebrating Daniher’s extraordinary contribution to Australian sport and his tireless efforts to raise awareness and funding for motor neurone disease research through FightMND.
Seven’s Head of AFL and Sport Innovation, Gary O’Keeffe, said the event had become a powerful celebration of Daniher’s enduring legacy.
“Big Freeze 12 was a truly remarkable tribute to the late, great Neale Daniher AO. While we miss him dearly, we know he would have absolutely loved what unfolded at the MCG yesterday,” – O’Keeffe said.
“With more than 88,000 fans filling the stands and huge audiences joining us on Seven and 7plus Sport, there could have been no greater celebration of Neale’s life, legacy and the extraordinary impact he had on so many Australians.”
O’Keeffe also acknowledged the emotional appearance of South Sydney Rabbitohs star Jai Arrow, who recently revealed his own family’s connection to MND.
“Jai’s courage in sharing his own battle against MND has inspired so many people, and the entire community stands firmly beside him in the fight against The Beast,” he said.
As Australians continue to honour Daniher’s legacy, Seven will broadcast special coverage of his State Funeral Service, with national streaming available on 7plus and local television coverage in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. The tribute coverage will be hosted by Peter Mitchell and Rebecca Maddern.
Media Release – Seven
Link to 7plus HERE
TV Central AFL content HERE
Big Freeze 12 Delivers Record Audience as King’s Birthday Clash Reaches 1.98 Million Viewers
