The highly-anticipated return of the AFL has given Seven a boost in ratings, with last night’s game attracting more than a million metro viewers.
Thursday night’s match between Collingwood and Richmond marked the first game for the code since the competition was abruptly suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic in March.
The game attracted 1.002 million metro viewers and another 273,000 regional viewers. This is compared to AFL’s first match of the year which attracted 798,000 metro viewers on a Thursday night match between Richmond and Carlton.
Seven says yesterday’s audience represents the biggest prime time regular season match in a decade and the biggest Thursday match ever.
It comes after Seven's chief revenue officer Kurt Burnette said yesterday that this year’s season will break records. Natalie Harvey, Seven network sales director, also touted a lift in engagement and reach for advertisers.
As a result of measures to keep the game COVID-safe, Seven has been able to introduce new advertising initiatives around the AFL, such as extended ad breaks after goals and virtual sponsor signage in empty stadiums.
Last night Seven also revealed a revised broadcast rights deal with the AFL which will save the media group $87 million.
The NRL season also returned on Nine two weeks ago, with the first match back attracting 535,000 metro viewers.
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