Historic 49ers v Rams clash at MCG delivers Seven’s biggest-ever NFL audience

The historic 2026 NFL Melbourne game on Friday morning has been a ratings triumph for the Seven Network, with the first-ever regular season NFL match played on Australian soil reaching 2.19 million Australians on Seven and 7plus Sport.

The blockbuster clash between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams — in front of a crowd of more than 100,000 at the MCG — drew a national total TV audience of 938,000, making it the most watched NFL game ever on Seven (inclusive of Super Bowls).

Friday morning’s NFL pre-game reached 1.21 million and had a national total TV audience of 526,000, while the post-game reached 1.17 million and had 480,000 total TV viewers.

More than 155,000 people watched on 7plus Sport alone. That was a record number for a NFL game on the streaming platform, highlighting the growing appetite among Australian sports fans for the NFL in its first season under Seven’s new broadcast deal.

Seven’s coverage of the historic occasion began with a special broadcast of Sunrise live from Melbourne, before a star-studded broadcast line-up including Ben Graham, Nick Riewoldt, and NFL Legends Jerry Rice, Todd Gurley, Patrick Willis and Cliff Avril brought fans closer to the action than ever before.

The broadcast also featured appearances from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and San Francisco 49ers CEO Al Guido, interviews with Rams running back Kyren Williams and 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, and a half-time performance from The Jonas Brothers.

The result caps off a huge first outing for Seven’s exclusive NFL rights deal, with the network continuing to bring fans comprehensive coverage throughout the 2026 season, including a twice-weekly NFL Tailgate, the play-offs and Super Bowl LXI, live and free on Seven and 7plus Sport.

Seven’s executive producer of NFL, Kirsty Bradmore, said: “Yesterday’s numbers tell the story: Australians showed up in huge numbers for a genuinely historic day of sport, and it’s a great sign for what NFL can do in our market.

“The NFL has been building momentum in Australia for years, but seeing it translate into an audience of this size, on a free-to-air platform, at nine o’clock on a Friday morning, is a fantastic result.

“It sets us up perfectly for the rest of the season, and we can’t wait to keep building the NFL’s audience on Seven and 7plus Sport.”

Former AFL and NFL star Ben Graham said: “To have delivered an audience like this for the first-ever NFL regular season game in Australia is an outstanding result, and a credit to everyone who worked on our coverage. From the broadcast talent to the production team, everyone raised their game for this occasion, and Australian fans responded in a big way.

“This is just the start: there’s a huge season of NFL still to come on Seven and 7plus Sport and yesterday showed just how much appetite there is for it.”

NFL General Manager Australia and New Zealand, Charlotte Offord, said: “The 2026 NFL Melbourne Game was an incredible milestone for our league and a powerful demonstration of the passion that exists for the game in Australia.