“Seven’s live, free and exclusive coverage of the unmissable premiership decider reminds us of just how much we all love footy. It’s the passion of the fans that elevates footy from being a sport to a unique spectacle that unites the nation,” Martin said.

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“The AFL is Australia’s number one winter sport, it’s a core part of our DNA, and Seven’s expert commentary, insights and coverage showcase the entertainment and exceptional competition of the AFL like no one else.”

The tense finish kept viewers until the final siren with a 97.4 per cent share in Melbourne during the game along with 79.5 per cent in its timeslot in Sydney and 87.9 per cent in Brisbane.

The Brisbane number this year is, as expected, more than the number of 80.5 per cent of Sydney viewers who watched the Swans fall short in last year’s grand final timeslot.

The 2023 finals series, which featured several 90,000-plus crowds at the MCG for Collingwood and Carlton’s matches, attracted 7.9 million viewers nationally, excluding the grand final, and an average finals audience of 1.1 million.

Those finals numbers are up on last year when 7.8 million viewers watched the finals series nationally, but average audience of 1.1 million remains the same.

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The AFL grand final reached 3.75 million total viewers nationally, the presentations reached 3.66 million, the on the ground segment attracted 2.74 million, the pre-match entertainment had 1.2 million and post-match coverage dropped to 323,000.

Seven and Foxtel will continue as AFL and AFLW broadcasters until at least the end of the 2031 season after signing a new agreement last year.

Seven also pointed out that it would have more digital rights to AFL and Australian cricket from next year.

“The biggest change to sports streaming rights in recent history takes place next year, when Seven adds the full digital rights to AFL and cricket,” Seven West Media chief revenue officer Kurt Burnette said.

“That will bring massive audiences in 2024 and beyond across the screens of Seven, with the new rights unlocking the full audience potential of free sport for advertisers and brands.”

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