The trade-off behind the AFL’s Thursday ratings bonanza, and what a footy influencer had to do with it

July 11, 2026 — 5:30am

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An unprecedented push into the AFL’s toughest market as part of a wildcard round trade-off demonstrated what the game can achieve when it throws legitimate weight behind promoting itself in Sydney.

Thursday night’s Fremantle-Sydney game was heavily marketed across the country as a top-of-the-table clash. In fact, it was something of a test pilot for the game, broadcast nationally on Seven’s main channel in every state and capital city – a first for the Thursday/Friday night timeslot.

The viewership test occurred against the backdrop of the NRL’s record new seven-year, $5.3 billion broadcast deal and after months of sensitive negotiations between the AFL – seeking a better financial deal in exchange for the new wildcard games – and its broadcasters. Head office wanted a pay-off given the two extra finals it had scheduled but the broadcasters – nearing the end of year two of their seven-year $4.5 billion media rights agreement – refused.

Instead, league chief Andrew Dillon won a commitment from Seven to intensify its marketing and promotional push into the Sydney market. The clash of first and second on the ladder, scheduled for prime time and involving two non-Victorian clubs, became the test case.

The Fremantle-Sydney game could prove to be an outlier. Unusually, Thursday night’s game was the first time since 2023 (when Collingwood met the Brisbane Lions in round 23) that the first- and second-placed clubs met in a home-and-away round. But Seven championed the match in Sydney across its programming as it would for games on Anzac Day or the King’s Birthday.

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© The Sydney Morning Herald