There are predictions Super Bowl will become the biggest annual international sporting event in Australia, with viewing going through the roof this week.

Gridiron Australia CEO Wade Kelly told Yahoo Sport Australia: “In recent years it has exploded. You only have to look across mainstream and particularly social media to see the amount of interest there now is in American Football.

“I don’t think it’s any secret that the ratings for both Fox via ESPN and Channel 7 on NFL are going off the charts.”

“The way in which Australians, particularly younger generations, consume sport/any content has shifted dramatically. Long gone are the days where viewers are restricted to what’s on free time air or even cable.

“Streaming and short form social media is now the norm, and it’s the NFL and NBA that dominate those platforms. Australians also love heroes and villains. The NFL celebrates those individuals very, very well. It’s a global audience now and it’s hard for other sports to compete.”

Kelly said there were at least 1000 events in bars around the country for Super Bowl on Monday. The National Football League (NFL), which owns the Super Bowl IP, also partnered with TAB and Culture Kings to host Australia’s first-ever official Super Bowl Party. They installed 18 screens on 42-metre long boat, Seadeck, and entertained 400 guests.

Pictured above: Crowds gather at Three Wise Monkeys in Sydney.

Pubs packed to the rafters

Pubs reported huge patronage for their Super Bowl viewing parties in Australia, with pre-match coverage commencing at 9am on Monday. 

Australian fans tuned in to the 7 Network in droves for the match, which saw an unprecedented rise in both TV and digital viewership. It attracted an average national total TV audience of 800,000, marking a 67% increase compared to the previous year.

The event’s digital viewership also witnessed a surge in broadcast video on demand viewing figures, with 7plus experiencing a staggering 128% growth year-on-year.

Solotel General Manager Andrew Dallas told The Daily Telegraph that the The Golden Sheaf in Double Bay was at max capacity, with hundreds of fans to rocking up for wings and beers at breakfast.

“I definitely think the Super Bowl is growing massively overseas and the rest of the world is catching up. Over the last few years, it’s only gotten bigger,” he said.

At the neighbouring The Royal Oak manager Kristien Sykes said the number of patrons had “doubled” since last year.

“That’s actually doubled on the year before [as well], so we’ve seen the dramatic rise over the past years,” Sykes said.

A Clubs NSW spokesperson agreed: “The popularity of the Super Bowl in the NSW club industry has boomed over the past decade, with clubs right across the state preparing to host special events. “From Twin Towns Services Club in Tweed Heads to Panthers Penrith, hundreds of NSW clubs will be streaming the Super Bowl live and offering special American-style menus, including hot dogs, Philly cheesesteak rolls and buckets of Budweiser beers.”

Pictured above and main: Royal Hotel Camden.

The Taylor Swift effect

Singer Taylor Swift flew into Las Vegas from Japan to see her boyfriend Travis Kelce and his team the Kansas City Chiefs play the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl final.

Swift’s support of the Chiefs has opened the NFL to a new market. The Sydney Morning Herald reports: “Girls and young women are being introduced to the sport and feel comfortable within it, potentially for the first time – resulting in huge financial benefit for the league.

“Since Swift started going to Chiefs games last September, the NFL produced its highest regular-season female viewership since it started collecting that data in 2000, and the top regular-season mark in the 18-34 demographic since 2019.”

Swift has generated an estimated $331.5 million in brand value for the Chiefs and the NFL, according to a report by Apex Marketing Group.

This figure accounted for TV, newsprint, social media, digital online news and radio monitoring since Swift attended her first Chiefs game on September 24, through to January 22, and valued what it would cost to buy advertising to get the same amount of exposure.

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Could Australia host an NRL game?

There have been suggestions that a NFL game could be played in Australia, most likely in Sydney, in 2026 or 2027.

Former NRL players Josh Reynolds told The Daily Telegraph: “The NFL is planting a seed in our country, a country which loves sport,” said Reynolds, a Philadelphia Eagles fan who will MC the event.

“If you’d asked people five, ten years ago if they’re having Monday off to watch the Super Bowl then they’d have looked at you in a weird way.

“Every second person is doing it now. The more you watch the games, the more you appreciate the athleticism.

“Rugby league is doing its best to get into the American market but the NFL is also smart enough to know more Aussies are enjoying their game. You see that many NFL jerseys around these days.

“I can’t see why an NFL game won’t be played here in Australia. That would be awesome. They would sell out a stadium here, for sure.

“You want the NFL to consider coming here to play games. It’s exciting. We love our sport more than anyone in any country.”

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