Seven’s AFL coverage attracts new fans as audiences surge in 2026 — The Seven Network says its AFL coverage is winning over a new generation of fans, with audiences growing across both broadcast television and streaming throughout the 2026 season.
Four months into the 2026 AFL Premiership Season, Seven revealed its AFL coverage across Seven and 7plus Sport has reached 13.3 million Australians, with national total TV audiences increasing by 7% compared to the same point last year.
Thursday Night Football has emerged as the biggest success story, with audiences climbing 15% year-on-year to an average of 690,000 viewers, while Sunday Night Football has grown 12% to 516,000 viewers. Friday Night Football has also strengthened, increasing 5% to an average audience of 635,000.
The season-to-date average national total TV audience across all AFL games on Seven now sits at 583,000 viewers. Perth has recorded the strongest growth, with audiences up 40%, driven by improved performances from the West Coast Eagles and ladder-leading Fremantle Dockers. Seven’s AFL audiences have also increased 12% in Brisbane and 11% in Sydney, while regional markets have grown 8% overall.
Streaming audiences continue to soar
The second season of AFL coverage on 7plus Sport has delivered significant growth, with streaming audiences increasing 127% compared to the same period in 2025.
Seven reported an average streaming audience of 83,000 viewers, with 14% of its total AFL audience now consuming matches through 7plus Sport, up from 7% at the same stage last season.
Seven’s Director of Sport, Chris Jones, said the results reflected changing viewing habits among sports fans.
“The beginning of the 2026 AFL Premiership Season has delivered exceptional footy round after round, and Australians are tuning into Seven’s coverage in record numbers.
“The growth we’ve seen for Seven’s AFL coverage on 7plus Sport shows just how well audiences are embracing the ability to stream the footy live and free, and it’s a huge endorsement of how fans want to watch the game today.”
The biggest games of the season
The most-watched AFL match of the season so far has been the Collingwood versus Melbourne Big Freeze clash on 8 June, which attracted a total TV audience of 940,000 viewers. It was followed by the Sydney versus Carlton season opener on 5 March, which reached 797,000 viewers nationally.
Seven’s Head of AFL and Sport Innovation, Gary O’Keeffe, said viewers had embraced both the Thursday and Sunday night timeslots.
“Thursday Night Football has become appointment viewing for Australians, and the ratings show just how much viewers have embraced it.
“Sunday Night Football has been another major success story this season. The audience response has been outstanding, and we look forward to working with the AFL to deliver even more Sunday Night Football for fans in the years ahead.”
With the AFL season entering its second half, Seven says the combination of free-to-air coverage and live streaming through 7plus Sport is helping the game reach more Australians than ever before.
Link to 7plus HERE
TV Central AFL content HERE
Seven’s AFL coverage attracts new fans as audiences surge in 2026
