The NRL and AFL launch with over 20 major broadcast sponsors
The 2019 NRL and AFL seasons are firmly underway, with each league holding over 20 major broadcast sponsors.
Toyota maintains its place as the AFL’s premier partner, a position it has held since 2004. The AFL’s broadcast sponsorship lineup also includes 20 other brands including Bunnings, Holden, Mazda and Sportsbet.
The NRL’s line up of broadcast sponsors totals 22, including Bundaberg Rum, Ford, KFC, McDonald’s, TAB and Youi Insurance.
The NRL opener aired to 338,000 viewers on Fox League and attracted 524,000 metro viewers on Nine.
In turn, the AFL’s first match between Richmond and Carlton last Thursday night secured 728,000 metro viewers for Seven and Friday night’s game, Collingwood vs Geelong, attracted a 311,000 average audience to Fox Footy.
A 2018 Nielsen report found that in 2017 eight in 10 Australians can be reached through the top five sports – AFL, cricket, tennis, NRL and swimming – and 48% of Australians had consumed AFL that year.
MCN – which runs the sales for Foxtel – CEO Mark Frain said the sports were helping subscription television stand out against its free-to-air rivals.
“It’s been a great start for both the footy and the league, with the Foxtel platform continuing to build momentum following a breakthrough summer of cricket. We’re seeing a halo effect across all channels due to the interest generated by Fox Sports’ unparalleled coverage across different sports codes. As a result, we are seeing STV outperform free-to-air in terms of audience growth in 2019, which is just the beginning of a strong year ahead for STV,” he said.
“Foxtel’s investment into sport like the Rugby World Cup and much anticipated winter programming like Game Of Thrones, coupled with MCN’s legacy in innovative integration solutions, will mean brands have access to the widest range of advertising opportunities in 2019.”
How many fried food and gambling sponsors can you fit!
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It would be good to see the impact Kayo is making on the total Fox Sports numbers.
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How is swimming a top 5 sport ? That doesnt make any sense.
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Kayo numbers all incremental to broadcast and not considered in the above. Foxtel audience growth is positive, FTA negative – Kayo potentially chipping away at FTA?
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