Women’s AFL kicks off with strong Friday night ratings for Seven
The historic Women’s AFL clash between Carlton and Collingwood at Princes Park in Melbourne drew more than half a million viewers on Friday night as women’s sport continues its drive from the periphery into the mainstream.
While the clash broadcast on Seven was outpaced by traditional Friday night fayre such as news, current affairs and the ever-present Better Homes and Gardens, 502,000 people watched the first fixture for the new women’s league.
The average audience was boosted by an exceptional level of interest in the derby in Melbourne with more than 420,000 viewers, while Seven decided not to carry the game live on its main channel in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth, shifting it to Mate.
In an otherwise unremarkable night as the networks gear up for the start of the official ratings season, Seven News at 6pm topped the ratings with 868,000 across the five metropolitan markets, ahead of Seven News/Today Tonight at 6.30pm with 853,000 and Nine News at 6pm with 771,000.
BHG tapped an audience of 608,000 while the ABC managed to snare the most popular general entertainment program of the night with a repeat of the detective series Vera.
Seven’s The Chase Australia grabbed 438,000 people at 5pm and Ten’s The Project pulled 435,000.
