Channel 7 AFL Grand Final rewrites the record books – Brisbane’s premiership victory over Fremantle has delivered the biggest television audience of 2026 and the highest-rating AFL Grand Final on record, according to figures released by Seven.
The 2026 AFL Grand Final reached 6.5 million people across Channel 7 and 7plus Sport. Its national total TV audience was 4.52 million, an increase of 8% on last year’s decider.
For Seven, the result is important beyond a single match. The audience grew on both broadcast television and streaming, while the wider finals and full AFL season also finished ahead of 2025. It gives the network a powerful lead-in to its next run of major live sport.
Record audience across Channel 7 and 7plus Sport
Seven described Brisbane’s win as the most watched Australian television program of the year. The network also said it was the highest-rating AFL Grand Final ever.
The streaming result set another record. The match averaged 1.42 million viewers on 7plus Sport, up 44% from 984,000 in 2025. Seven said the result helped make Saturday the biggest day in 7plus history.
The scale of the audience carried across the full day. Seven’s AFL Grand Final, post-match presentations, pre-game entertainment and AFL Grand Final On The Ground were Saturday’s four most-watched programs. 7NEWS ranked fifth.
Between 6.00am and 6.00pm, Seven recorded an 86% commercial audience share in all people. That figure climbed to 88.5% among viewers aged 25 to 54.
Meanwhile, 7plus was the leading BVOD service on Saturday with an 85.6% audience share. Its share of live streaming was even higher at 89.3%.
Brisbane celebrations keep millions watching
The audience remained with Seven after the final siren as Brisbane celebrated a third consecutive premiership. The post-match presentations reached 6 million people and averaged 3.96 million nationally.
That presentation audience was 18% higher than in 2025. Seven’s figures show that the premiership cup, medal ceremony and celebrations became a major television event in their own right.
AFL Grand Final On The Ground reached 4.04 million people and recorded a national total TV audience of 3.27 million. The later post-match program reached 941,000 and averaged 519,000.
Seven congratulated coach Chris Fagan and the Lions on their third straight flag. The network said it was the club’s second three-peat and made Brisbane only the second club, alongside Melbourne, to achieve the feat.
The result ended Fremantle’s pursuit of a first premiership. Seven’s Head of AFL and Sport Innovation, Gary O’Keeffe, praised the Dockers for an exceptional season and said the team had given everything on Grand Final Day.
Kylie Minogue leads the pre-game audience
The pre-game entertainment also posted a significant year-on-year increase. The program reached 4.35 million people and averaged 1.83 million, up 20% on 2025.
Kylie Minogue headlined the show at the MCG. G Flip, Michael Paynter, William Barton and Mike “Up There Cazaly” Brady were also part of the entertainment.
The Grand Final Countdown reached 1.48 million people and averaged 693,000. Earlier in the day, the Grand Final Brunch reached 1.16 million and averaged 495,000.
Seven assembled a large commentary and presentation team for the coverage. It featured James Brayshaw, Brian Taylor, Abbey Holmes, Kane Cornes, Luke Hodge, Matthew Richardson, Nick Riewoldt, Mitch Cleary, Hamish McLachlan, Daisy Pearce, Dale Thomas, Joel Selwood, Rebecca Maddern, Campbell Brown, Kate McCarthy, Brendan Fevola and Jason Richardson.
Monique Ryan and David Woiwood hosted the Weekend Sunrise AFL Grand Final Special. 7NEWS reporters Tom Morris, Theo Doropoulos, Kate Massey and Xander McGuire covered breaking news throughout the day. Sunrise reporter Katie Brown reported from the MCG and the Yarra Park Footy Festival.
7AFL social platforms draw more than nine million video views
Grand Final Day also delivered large numbers across 7AFL’s social platforms. Seven reported more than 16.49 million impressions, 1.51 million engagements and 9.32 million video views.
Those figures extended the event beyond the live television and 7plus audiences. Short-form clips, news updates and match moments continued to circulate throughout the day.
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Southern Cross Media Group’s Director of Sport, TV, Audio and Streaming, Chris Jones, said Australians had followed the coverage from the first live crosses outside the MCG through to the premiership celebrations.
He said the combined broadcast and streaming result showed Seven’s ability to reach viewers across different screens. Jones also thanked the AFL and the players for the spectacle.
Jones described the Finals Series as the best Seven had covered. In his view, the audience followed every stage of Grand Final Day: the early live coverage, Minogue’s performance, the match and the Lions’ celebrations.
He said the 1.42 million streaming audience was especially important. Rather than shifting viewers away from the broadcast, 7plus Sport expanded the number of ways Australians could watch the match live and free.
Jones also pointed to the accessibility of the coverage. Viewers could follow the match at home, on connected televisions or through streaming devices while moving through their day.
Seven’s AFL season grows across every stage
The Grand Final capped a season of audience growth for Seven and 7plus Sport. The 2026 Finals Series, excluding the decider, reached 9.1 million people.
Those finals averaged 1.12 million, up 9% from 1.03 million in 2025. The full AFL season, including the Grand Final, reached 18.5 million people.
Across the season, Seven and 7plus Sport recorded a national total TV audience of 681,000. That was another 9% increase from the 2025 average of 626,000.
O’Keeffe said the finals had delivered close contests, major moments and compelling storylines. He also thanked the AFL and its clubs, as well as Seven’s production and commentary teams, for the season.
He said the network was proud of its coverage across broadcast and streaming and was already looking towards the 2027 AFL season. Seven’s AFL coverage continues with the AFLW finals race.
O’Keeffe said Australians had watched a month of thrilling contests and memorable individual performances. He credited both the players and clubs for creating the storylines that drove the finals audience.
He also acknowledged the emotion at the end of the decider. Brisbane completed another historic season, while Fremantle carried the hopes of Western Australia into the club’s second Grand Final appearance.
Seven’s release positioned the result as a full-season achievement rather than a one-day spike. The Grand Final record arrived after the network had already grown its average audience across the finals and home-and-away season.
Live sport remains central to Seven’s schedule
Seven’s Director of Sales, Television and Streaming, Katie Finney, said the Grand Final again demonstrated live sport’s ability to connect audiences and advertisers at scale.
Finney pointed to the match’s reach across demographic groups and screens. She also highlighted 7plus Sport’s latest streaming record as evidence of changing viewing habits.
Seven will now move into another busy stretch of sport. Its schedule includes the Rugby League World Cup, the Bathurst 1000 and the Spring Racing Carnival.
The Rugby League World Cup begins on 15 October and will be exclusive to Channel 7 and 7plus Sport. Bathurst follows in two weeks, while the racing schedule includes The Everest, the Caulfield Cup and the Cox Plate.
Seven will also carry a summer of cricket, including the first Test between Australia and New Zealand from 9 December. The AFLW finals complete the network’s immediate football schedule.
Finney said these events would give brands more opportunities to appear around live sport. She argued that sport remains one of the few forms of television that can bring a very large audience together at the same moment.
How every Grand Final Day program performed
The match and presentation figures were the centrepiece, but every major program in Seven’s day-long schedule reached a substantial audience.
On The Ground was the third-biggest Grand Final program by average audience. The pre-game entertainment, meanwhile, added more viewers year on year as Minogue and the supporting performers took over the MCG.
The Countdown and Brunch programs extended Seven’s coverage well before the opening bounce. Together, those programs helped the network build an audience across the morning and early afternoon.
Seven’s 2026 AFL Grand Final Day numbers
- AFL Grand Final: reach of 6.5 million and national total TV audience of 4.52 million, including 1.42 million on 7plus Sport.
- Post-Match Presentations: reach of 6 million and national total TV audience of 3.96 million.
- On The Ground: reach of 4.04 million and national total TV audience of 3.27 million.
- Pre-Game Entertainment: reach of 4.35 million and national total TV audience of 1.83 million.
- Post-Match: reach of 941,000 and national total TV audience of 519,000.
- Grand Final Countdown: reach of 1.48 million and national total TV audience of 693,000.
- Grand Final Brunch: reach of 1.16 million and national total TV audience of 495,000.
Fans can replay the 2026 AFL Grand Final for free on 7plus Sport. Match highlights are also available through 7plus Sport and Seven’s YouTube channels.
For more TV Central AFL news and coverage, head here. The Grand Final replay and more sport are available from 7plus Sport.