By Luke Holmesby
Saturday's clash between the Gold Coast SUNS and the Brisbane Lions has turned out to be historic on two fronts.
Not only was it the first ever AFL game between the two Queensland clubs but it set a record as the most-watched AFL broadcast ever on Fox Sports.
A total of 354,745 viewers tuned in around the country for the three-hour broadcast, surpassing the previous record of 328,436 for the 2007 round 21 clash between Richmond and Essendon.
That meeting between the Bombers and Tigers was notable for being the last game in Melbourne for outgoing Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy and star player James Hird.
The Gold Coast SUNS-Brisbane Lions clash was the only AFL match played on Saturday night, and had a lead-in via the twilight Saturday game between Richmond and Fremantle that was also broadcast on Fox Sports.
The Tigers v Fremantle game drew 285,127 viewers nationally and represented the eighth most-watched match for an AFL game on Fox Sports.
AFL chief operating officer Gillon McLachlan said he was pleased with the interest shown in the all-Queensland match.
"Like the Derby in WA and the Showdown in SA, the Q-Clash straight away showed that it’s a fierce contest for bragging rights in the state between the GC SUNS and the Lions and fans across the country tuned in to watch the match, and then stayed with the telecast right to its conclusion," McLachlan said on Monday.
"The viewer numbers for free-to-air television in Queensland were extremely strong, when considering the other viewing options for the night, and the interest of fans around the country on pay television was reflected with an all-time record for an AFL match on Fox Sports."
McLachlan said the new record figure continued a trend of an increase in pay TV viewership.
"So far this year, four matches from the 2011 season are now placed in the all-time top 10 for AFL matches on pay television, as well as two games from the 2011 NAB Cup," McLachlan said.
"That is showing us that there is still a lot of upside for us to be able to draw on in terms of viewer numbers for our matches, as fans increasingly seek to watch multiple matches across a weekend."
From next season, every game will be broadcast live on pay television, with four matches a week to be simulcast on free-to-air television.
The 10-best AFL matches on subscription television are as follows:
354,745 – May 7, 2011. Gold Coast SUNS v Brisbane Lions.
328,436 – August 26, 2007. Essendon v Richmond
317,556 – February 19, 2011. Sydney Swans v Gold Coast SUNS.
306,827 – April 10, 2011. St Kilda v Essendon.
294,922 – July 1, 2007. Collingwood v Hawthorn.
288,183 – June 29, 2008. Fremantle v Essendon.
285,872 – May 1, 2011. Collingwood v Western Bulldogs.
285,127 – May 7, 2011. Richmond v Fremantle.
284,355 – April 27, 2008. Hawthorn v Richmond.
278,993 – February 9, 2011. GWS Giants v Gold Coast SUNS
