The 2026 NRL Telstra Premiership Grand Final between the Sydney Roosters and the Newcastle Knights delivered a massive viewing result for the 9Network on Sunday night, commanding Australian screens and capping off a blockbuster NRL season.

In a heart-stopping decider that saw the Sydney Roosters claim a dramatic 19-18 victory over the Newcastle Knights, the epic match kept millions glued to their screens, achieving a National Total TV Reach of 6.053 million and a National Total TV Average Audience of 4.286 million.
 
Across the 5 City Metro, key capital cities and regional markets, the broadcast delivered strong average audiences:

• Sydney: Total TV Average Audience of 1.157 million
• Melbourne: Total TV Average Audience of 441,000
• Brisbane: Total TV Average Audience of 737,000
• Adelaide: Total TV Average Audience of 130,000
• Perth: Total TV Average Audience of 164,000
• 5 City Metro: Total TV Average Audience of 2.629 million
• Regional: Total TV Average Audience of 1.593 million
• Northern NSW (incl. Newcastle): Total TV Average Audience of 480,000

The match cemented itself as Australia’s overall No.1 program on Sunday, as well as the 5 City Metro and in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and across Regional markets. In Sydney it grew its Total TV Average Audience year-on-year by +4.3%, across Regional Australia it increased by +22.1% and there was significant growth across audiences in Northern NSW (which includes Newcastle) by +24.7%.

Nine’s digital platform delivered a stand-out result, with 9Now recording an average match audience of 1.447 million, up +8.2% year-on-year.
 
Earlier in the afternoon, the NRLW Telstra Premiership Grand Final between the Sydney Roosters and Brisbane Broncos delivered another huge audience for women’s sport. The decider commanded a Total TV Reach of 1.788 million and a Total TV Audience of 1.010 million, with the Roosters storming to 30-6 victory. On 9Now, it increased its audience by +19.2% on last year played between the same clubs, demonstrating the sport’s rapid growth. 

Sunday’s deciders capped off a stellar 2026 season for NRL on Nine, marked by strong growth across both broadcast and streaming:

• The complete 2026 NRL Season (Regular Season + Finals) achieved a National Total TV Average Audience of 745,000 per match – up 1.3% year-on-year.
• Regular season viewing grew 4.0% on Total TV and 58.4% on BVOD.
• The NRL Finals series recorded an average of 1.066 million viewers per game, powered by a 12.6% surge in BVOD streaming (280,000 average audience).
• The two NRL Preliminary Finals fixtures set major viewing milestone across all screens, drawing a National Total TV Audience of 1.473 million, seeing a rise of 11.6% on BVOD year-on-year.
• Nine’s surrounding Rugby League coverage also continued to power weekly viewing habits throughout the year. 100% Footy posted a Total TV average audience of 197,000 per episode, accumulating a total reach of 6.109 million across the season. Meanwhile, NRL Sunday Footy Show reached 3.889 million total viewers on Total TV, and Freddy and the Eighth reached 2.353 million Total TV viewers.
• The State of Origin 2026 series reached more than 12 million viewers. The Men’s series saw Game II set an all-time Australian BVOD record of 1.713 million on 9Now, before Game III: The Decider went on to deliver the highest-rating State of Origin match in history with 4.290 million viewers (based on Total TV and Overnight VOZ/TAM/VPM). Meanwhile, the Women’s State of Origin series achieved an average national reach of 2 million Australians per match, fuelled by a 53% year-on-year surge in BVOD viewing on 9Now. 

Nine’s Director of Sport, Brent Williams, said:

“We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the players, coaches, and clubs. 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. I also want to acknowledge the incredible team at Nine’s Wide World of Sports. Their dedication and relentless pursuit of excellence continue to set the benchmark for sports broadcasting in Australia.”

Dominating Total TV audiences, driving digital growth on 9Now, and celebrating historic milestones across the men’s and women’s games, the 2026 NRL season proves that Rugby League on Nine continues to set the standard for Australian sports broadcasting and commercial integration.

Source: TVMAP VOZ Program Analyser, VOZ Data 5.9 © OzTAM Pty Limited [2026], National, Nine Content, 2026 v 2025, Total People, Total TV, Overnight (As at 05/10/2026).

Source: TVMAP VOZ Program Analyser, VOZ Data 5.9 © OzTAM Pty Limited [2026], National, Nine Content, State of Origin Rugby League, Reach (Incl Pre/Post, Average Audience (Excl Pre/Post), Total People, Total TV, Overnight, as at 09/07/2026. (TAM/VPM data)

Tuesday 6 October, 2026