The AFL Grand Final was Australia's most-watched program this year. GETTY IMAGES
The Australian Football League grand final was the "most-watched program of the year," with 2.6 million people nationally and just under half a million in Perth "tuning in to watch" the Eagles beat Collingwood, data from Australia's ratings provider OzTam showed, according to Cy Clayton of the WEST AUSTRALIAN. Although the AFL is "still Australia's most popular televised sport," the State of Origin, NRL grand final and Melbourne Cup also rated highly. Seven of the top-10 most-watched programs of the year nationally and five of the top 10 in Perth "were sporting broadcasts, proving that live sport is still a key ratings drawcard." Seven's telecast of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding in May was Perth's most-watched non-sporting program of the year, with 310,000 viewers. The OzTam figures also showed that Seven "remain's Perth's No. 1 network," a title it has now held for 13 consecutive years (WEST AUSTRALIAN, 12/1). In Sydney, Lilly Vitorovich reported Seven Dir of Network Programming Angus Ross "welcomed the result," while Nine secured the top spot in the key 25-54 age demographic, "popular among advertisers." Ross: "The fact is more people watch the screens of Seven. More men, more women, more young people, more of every key demographic. And with the AFL and cricket locked up until 2022, Seven can guarantee those mass audiences, and certainty for our advertisers, for years to come" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 12/2).
