The Season that was - 2022 TV and Streaming Ratings

[The_Wookie]

Total AFL audiences during the 2022 season are estimated at 106.265m, with an average audience of 537,000 watching 265.662m hours of footy. This includes estimated data for Kayo, based on published data earlier in the season that gave a ratio of 0.89 to Fox STB ratings,

According to the 2019 AFL Annual Report - The cumulative national audience during the home and away season exceeded 91m (91,293,403), which was up on the 89.3m (89,348,093) in 2018. This comprised 57.41m viewers on FTA and 33.89m viewers on paytv.

Sevens audiences account for 46% of AFL ratings, with Fox Group taking out 54% during the season. Sevens season average across all matches was 278,000, including Metro audience averages of 211,000.

Foxtel set top box ratings came in at 30.94m for the season, averaging 157,000 per game. In 2021, matches on Foxtel rated an average of 243,000 during the season. Based on early season data we believe Kayo comes in at around 136,000 per game for a total around 26.86m.

According to the 2021 AFL Annual Report streaming was worth about 90,000 viewers per game for the season.

For Seven - all metro shown matches

• Syd 2.489m @ 28,000 per game
• Mel 16.916m @ 223,000
• Bri 2.435m @ 27,000
• Adl 6.57m @ 77,000
• Per 6.355m @ 73,000

24 AFL games in the H&A season reached over a million viewers,

#1 Dees/Dogs R1 1.436m
#2 Dons/Pies R6 1.415m
#3 Dees/Pies R21 1.231m
#4 Pies/Dees R13 1.221m
#5 Dogs/Cats R12 1.216m
#6 Swans/Cats R2 1.203m
#7 BluesPies R23 1.165m

While 24 AFL matches may have reached the million mark this season - including streaming, its worth noting that in 2012 a total of 45 AFL matches averaged a national audience of more than one million viewers, compared to 17 such matches in 2011.

 

[The_Wookie]

The most watched AFL team in 2022 appears to have been Melbourne, followed by Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs.

#1 Melb 16.91m (769k ave)
#2 Coll 16.188m (736k)
#3 WB 16.032m (729k)
#4 Carl 14.951m (680k)
#5 Rich 14.346m (652k)

In Adelaide the overall FTA average was 77,000 on Seven, but the Crows averaged 85,000 viewers, while the Power averaged 91,000. Both Adelaide sides were in the bottom half of the leagues ratings with the Power coming in 12th, Adelaide 16th. In 2021, Crows games averaged 86,000, while Port games averaged 93,000.

In Brisbane, the city average for the season on FTA was just 27,000. Matches involving Brisbane averaged 43,000, while the Suns averaged 23,000 per game. The Suns were the second lowest rating team in the AFL for 2022, while Brisbane came in at #7. In 2021, Matches involving Brisbane rateds an average of 59,000, while matches involving Gold Coast rated an average of 25,000.

In Melbourne, the city average for 2022 was 223,000. 5 clubs - Dees, Pies, Dogs, Blues and Tigers beat this mark. The average is bought down by North Melbournes lone Melbourne broadcast game audience of 83,000. North were the lowest rating team of the season, but hardly any FTA. In 2021, the average rating for Melbourne FTA was 273,000.

In Perth, the city FTA average for 2022 was 73,000. Matches involving Fremantle drew 96,000 viewers on average, while West Coast averaged 95,000. The WA sides finished 11th and 14th in the overall team viewing ratings for the season.

In Sydney, the citys AFL FTA average was 28,000 per game. Matches involving the Swans averaging 51,000 per game on 7/7mate, while the Giants again struggled for audience, pulling in 24,000 viewers per game on FTA. Overall, the Swans came in 8th for viewing, the Giants were 15th. In 2021, Matches involving the Swans rated an average of 62,000, whjile matches involving GWS rated 29,000.

On Foxfooty/503, the major players were #1 Collingwood #2 Melbourne #3 Geelong #4 Richmond #5 Carlton While the bottom was held up by North, Crows, Giants and the Suns.

 

[The_Wookie]

Team	Home	FTA	Fox	Kayo	All Ave	Aggreg
Melbourne	250,000	454,000	191,000	165,000	769,000	16.91​
Collingwood	266,000	423,000	200,000	170,000	736,000	16.188​
W Bulldogs	234,000	412,000	180,000	154,000	729,000	16.032​
Carlton	246,000	390,000	182,000	161,000	680,000	14.951​
Richmond	223,000	404,000	182,000	157,000	652,000	14.346​
St Kilda	211,000	386,000	171,000	147,000	617,000	13.567​
Brisbane	43,000	304,000	167,000	143,000	614,000	13.512​
Sydney	51,000	292,000	162,000	143,000	597,000	13.125​
Geelong	243,000	330,000	183,000	157,000	595,000	13.082​
Essendon	226,000	278,000	153,000	130,000	534,000	11.759​
Fremantle	95,000	229,000	152,000	132,000	503,000	11.056​
Port Adelaide	91,000	237,000	137,000	117,000	488,000	10.726​
Hawthorn	167,000	282,000	156,000	135,000	432,000	9.493​
West Coast	96,000	172,000	134,000	116,000	426,000	9.377​
GWS	24,000	157,000	122,000	106,000	391,000	8.591​
Adelaide	85,000	127,000	121,000	104,000	348,000	7.65​
Gold Coast	23,000	91,000	124,000	107,000	325,000	7.144​
Nth Melbourne	157,000	83,000	112,000	96,000	249,000	5.477​

 

[Kwality]

2023 I know, but hopefully this might help you with your (excellent*) work:
'OzTam’s Total TV measurement system VOZ has been on a hiatus since January in preparation for a relaunch later this year. After many pushbacks, it is understood that new datasets can be expected as early as May.

However, it’s not likely to instantly become the unified currency, as the legacy OzTam ratings are expected to run in parallel until the beginning of 2024.'

"Nine’s masthead, The Australian Financial Review, reported last month that free-to-air broadcasters Nine, Seven and Ten were in talks with media agencies and adtech companies about an initiative known as the “BVOD project”.

Head of YouTube questions Total TV as VOZ launch looms, media owners counter the argument

As the much-anticipated upgrade to Virtual Australia (VOZ) looms, Google’s head of YouTube & programmatic media, Caroline Oates, questioned how the market could talk about Total TV without including players like itself.“We start here today, and we talk around TV at a TV event, but I’ve heard it...

mumbrella.com.au

From the AFR:
Australia’s major free-to-air broadcasters – Seven, Nine and Ten – are gearing up to build an anti-YouTube advertising system that can seamlessly sell and run ads across their different television apps.
Multiple media industry executives, speaking anonymously due to ongoing confidential discussions, confirmed that television representatives have this week met major media agencies and issued non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to tech firms ahead of renewed development discussions.
The aim is to scoop up a greater slice of the up to $2 billion that YouTube is estimated to make from video advertising in Australia.

Australia’s major free-to-air broadcasters – Seven, Nine and Ten – are joining forces to build an system that makes ad buying easier.
The traditionally fierce commercial free-to-air competitors’ goal is to unite what are known as broadcast video on-demand (BVOD) platforms – 9Now, 7plus and 10 Play, making advertising easier and more compelling to buy for big brands.
The project is being led by OzTAM, a company co-owned by Seven Network, Nine Network and Network Ten that compiles television ratings.

TV industry asks tech to help build YouTube-killer ad network

The TV industry has been quietly asking advertising technology firms to sign non-disclosure agreements to help build a new, unified ad buying system.

www.afr.com

* even when we disagree