The NRL Grand Final has delivered a huge audience for Nine, with the Roosters’ dramatic victory over the Knights reaching more than six million Australians.
Sydney’s thrilling 19–18 victory over Newcastle on Sunday night drew a National Total TV Audience of 4.286 million, with the match reaching 6.053 million Australians.
The result made the NRL Grand Final the No.1 program nationally on Sunday, as well as the top program in the 5 City Metro markets, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and regional Australia.
The match went down to the wire, with the Roosters holding on for a one-point victory over the Knights in a tense finish to the 2026 NRL season.
The result also proved particularly strong in the markets most closely connected to the two clubs, with Sydney recording a Total TV Average Audience of 1.157 million, while Northern NSW, including Newcastle, delivered 480,000.
Nine’s coverage also benefited from a strong performance on 9Now, which recorded an average match audience of 1.447 million, up 8.2% year-on-year.
By the numbers:
- NRL Grand Final: National reach 6.053 million, national total TV audience 4.286 million
- 9Now: 1.447 million average audience, up 8.2% year-on-year
- Sydney: 1.157 million total TV average audience
- Melbourne: 441,000 total TV average audience
- Brisbane: 737,000 total TV average audience
- Adelaide: 130,000 total TV average audience
- Perth: 164,000 total TV average audience
- 5 City Metro: 2.629 million total TV average audience
- Regional Australia: 1.593 million total TV average audience
- Northern NSW: 480,000 total TV average audience
- NRLW Grand Final: 1.788 million reach and 1.010 million total TV audience
- NRLW Grand Final on 9Now: Audience up 19.2% year-on-year
- 2026 NRL season: 745,000 average audience per match, up 1.3% year-on-year
- NRL Finals: 1.066 million average audience per game
- NRL Finals BVOD: 280,000 average audience, up 12.6% year-on-year
- Preliminary Finals: 1.473 million national total TV audience
- Regular season BVOD: Viewing up 58.4% year-on-year
Earlier in the afternoon, the NRLW Grand Final also delivered a strong result, with the Sydney Roosters defeating the Brisbane Broncos 30–6.
The women’s decider reached 1.788 million Australians and recorded a Total TV Average Audience of 1.010 million, while its 9Now audience increased by 19.2% compared with last year’s Grand Final between the same clubs.
The NRL Grand Final result caps a strong season for Nine, with the full 2026 NRL season averaging 745,000 viewers per match, up 1.3% on 2025.
Regular-season viewing increased by 4% across Total TV, while BVOD viewing surged 58.4% year-on-year, as streaming continued to play a growing role in Nine’s rugby league coverage.
The NRL Finals series averaged 1.066 million viewers per game, with BVOD averaging 280,000 viewers, up 12.6% on last year.
Nine’s Director of Sport Brent Williams credited the players, coaches, clubs and Nine’s Wide World of Sports team for the season’s results.
“Their extraordinary athleticism on the field and generous access off it allow us to bring fans closer to the personalities and stories driving the sport.”
The wider rugby league offering also delivered strong results throughout the year, with 100% Footy averaging 197,000 viewers per episode and reaching 6.109 million Australians across the season.
The NRL Sunday Footy Show reached 3.889 million viewers on Total TV, while Freddy and the Eighth reached 2.353 million.
The 2026 State of Origin series also reached more than 12 million Australians, with Game III becoming the highest-rating State of Origin match in history with 4.290 million viewers across Total TV and Overnight VOZ/TAM/VPM.
Nine says the results cap a strong year for rugby league across television and streaming, with the NRL continuing to deliver growth across both the men’s and women’s games and 9Now.
Source: Nine Network media release, 6 October 2026. Audience figures supplied by Nine.
