The AFL gets the bragging rights. A reach of 6.501 million versus 6.053 million for the NRL settles the argument for this year,” said Ben Willee, executive director of Melbourne-based independent advertising agency Spinach.
But when both codes can still pull audiences north of six million (with very high engagement) in an increasingly fragmented media market, it goes to show why advertisers and broadcasters pay a premium for live sport.
It also showed how interstate teams can find new fans, Willee said. “No doubt this won’t stop the pressure on the AFL to move to a twilight or night grand final to increase ratings; something the state opposition has proposed to legislate against.”
