Foxtel, with the return of live sports including the NRL and AFL from May, now has nearly two million sports subscribers.
Kayo, the streaming platform, has more than 600,000 paid subscribers, up from 542,000 reported early last month.
And advertising is starting to bounce back.
"We've got more sports subscribers at the Foxtel group than we've had in 25 years," CEO Patrick Delany told a sports showcase virtual event.
"It has been an incredibly challenging year but we're really growing.
"By the end of March, we were all sitting in Australia and the smoke had cleared (from bushfires), but we were shut down when a sports codes had been suspended.
"For us at Foxtel, it was an existential moment because sport is so much a part of our DNA."
Susbcriber churn rose, pubs and clubs were shut and revenue fell hard.
"Ad sales completely crashed as as clients grew cautious and waited to see," says Delaney.
Foxtel put up movies for sports subscribers when the pandemic took down live sport in Australia from March.
"Five months later, I suppose winners are grinners, and it feels fabulous," says Delaney.
"Advertising is starting to bounce back and, hopefully, it's because we deliver so much good value."
The NRl audiences, in the first eight rounds comparing season 19 with season 20, are up 15% compared to the previous year.
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