How the AFL Is Keeping Pace With Its Fans

At the beginning of the month, sports fans who primarily consume American media might have gotten the impression that the NFL, which held its first-ever regular-season game in Australia on September 11, is the most popular league Down Under.

Indeed, the Week 1 matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers at Melbourne Cricket Ground was a great success. And the NFL made it clear it is eager to bring a game to Australia every season as part of its international strategy. But while all of this was going on, most Aussies were probably biting their nails waiting for the next playoff game in the country’s equivalent of the NFL: the Australian Football League (AFL).

The AFL playoffs, which culminate in the Grand Final on Saturday, wrap up another fantastic season for the league. The numbers bear this out:

• The AFL reached more than 370 million viewers during the regular season – the highest viewership in its history and the sixth consecutive year of audience growth. 

• The league recorded strong growth across traditional TV, including 30% year-over-year in Perth and more than 10% in Sydney, two of Australia’s capital cities.

• Digital streaming platforms also saw a significant increase in viewing, with 7plus growing its AFL audience by almost 130%. 

Rethinking the Fan Experience

These record-breaking figures are even more impressive, given that the AFL overhauled its content strategy in the off-season. Last November, in a concerted effort to engage audiences beyond its avid fan base, the league established the AFL Digital Network with a mandate to diversify its content output, targeting younger, mobile-first fans. 

“It’s just about acknowledging our fan funnel,” said Bec Haagsma, the AFL’s chief commercial and technology officer. “Whilst we really appreciate and cater to the rusted-on fan, there’s a whole new audience out there. We are really focused on dedicating resources to each platform to drive the best result for the audience that’s there.”

As part of the new strategy, the AFL Digital Network is placing a greater emphasis on social content. That includes scaling its vertical content for digital platforms, with pre-match, live game and post-game storytelling, investing in vodcasts and other social video formats, and prioritizing flexibility, speed and digital differentiation.

In the past, said Haagsma, “we had a social media strategy where we would use the same team across all the platforms. We’re now making sure we differentiate and really pinpoint the thing that attracts a fan on TikTok, which is different to Instagram, which is different to our broadcast, which is different to the experience at the game.”

In addition, the AFL recently kicked off a new animated kids show called Wagtales, which combines live-action highlights with charming animated characters. The show, produced in partnership with WSC Sports, focuses on wholesome, educational themes, such as teamwork and sportsmanship.

Watch the first episode below:

A New Way to Watch

The AFL has also been providing fans with a new digital experience: creator-led watchalongs. In September 2025, ahead of a playoff game, the league partnered with the most popular content creator and podcaster in Australia, Dan Gorringe, aka Dan Does Footy, to create the Ultimate Footy Watchalong: a live stream on the AFL’s YouTube channel and official app, with Gorringe watching and reacting to all the action.

The first Ultimate Footy Watchalong generated more than 100,000 live stream views and, more importantly, over 8 million social clip views. Following the success of the inaugural stream, the AFL expanded the format to include two matches in 2026. Once again, the innovative collaboration delivered landmark results:

• The two games attracted more than 250,000 live viewers across AFL YouTube and broadcast partners 7plus and Kayo SPORTS.

• 65% of the viewers on the AFL’s YouTube stream were aged under 34.

• The average watch time reached double-digit minutes, highlighting the format’s ability to both attract and retain younger fans.

• Together, the live streams generated more than 10 million social video views through promotional content, live moments and highlights. 

“We are pleased to see that The Ultimate Footy Watchalong resonated with our fans, evidenced by the high viewership and engagement numbers,” said Haagsma. “By bringing together live sport access, creator expertise and official broadcast partners, The Ultimate Footy Watchalong demonstrated how we can continue to evolve and adapt our AFL offerings for digital-first audiences.”

AI-Powered Content That Evolves

Adapting your content offering to digital-first audiences means evolving alongside the fans themselves. As fans move between platforms and formats, rights holders need to rethink not only what they produce, but where, when, and how they tell their stories. The AFL’s shift toward platform-specific content, vertical videos, and creator-led watchalongs shows how that approach can open the sport to younger audiences without losing sight of existing fans.

AI-powered content creation platforms can help rights holders make this kind of flexibility part of their everyday operation. By instantly turning live footage into highlights, clips and other social video formats, they enable content teams to respond to what different audiences are watching and where they are watching it. That ability to adapt at speed is helping the AFL evolve with its fans – and keep its place at the top of Australian sport.