Nine’s AO 2026 Serves Up Record Audience while ESPN delivers most-viewed Australian Open in six years

[Vince Evert]

2026 tournament viewership on ESPN, ESPN2 and the ESPN App up 29% year-over-year
Most-viewed men’s championship in nine years

ESPN’s coverage of the 2026 Australian Open across ESPN, ESPN2 and the ESPN App delivered strong year-over-year growth, ranking as the most-viewed Australian Open on ESPN since 2020.
Viewership for the 15-day tournament was up 29% YoY across ESPN, ESPN2 and the ESPN App.
All key demos experienced year-over-year growth, including women (+23%) and young adults 18-34 (+61%).
Championship weekend highlights
The men’s and women’s championships on ESPN drew a 34% YoY increase, marking the most-viewed Australian Open championships since 2017.
The men’s championship, featuring No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz defeating No. 4 Novak Djokovic in four sets, delivered 730K viewers and was up 57% YoY, ranking as most-viewed since 2017.
The women’s championship, which saw No. 5 Elena Rybakina defeat No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, delivered 487K viewers, increasing 8% YoY and ranking as the most-viewed since 2020.
Semifinals deliver strong growth
The semifinals across ESPN, ESPN2 and the ESPN App were up 53% YoY, making it the most-viewed Australian Open semifinals since 2017. The Carlos Alcaraz/Alexander Zverev 5-set thriller match averaged 743K viewers and ranking as the second most-viewed men’s semifinal since 2014.
Source: Nielsen Big Data + Panel









BY: Ardi Dwornik
I oversee all facets of ESPN’s corporate communications for Tennis and Combat Sports.

Weekend Ratings (30/1 to 1/2/2026): Nine’s AO Finals Coverage Dominates​

The men’s Australian Open final has absolutely blown the TV ratings out of the park this year, with more than 6.3 million viewers tuning in to Nine to watch 38-year-old Serb, Novak Djokovic, go toe-to-toe with the much younger Spanish top seed, Carlos Alcaraz. The women’s decider reached 3.82 million on Saturday night.


The match, which lasted just over three hours drew in an extra two million fans
compared to last years final (4.166 million). To add to it’s enormous year the 2026 average audience of 3.45 million was only 600 thousand short of the 2025 final’s reach.


Djokovic was playing to win his 25th Grand Slam victory, which would have made him the first ever to do so, and also the oldest ever player to win a major tournament. For the 22-year-old Alcaraz, he was fighting to be the youngest player in tennis history to win all four major grand slams, a feat that he achieved in a four set thriller.


No matter what fans were about to witness history.


The night that hauled in a total TV national average audience of 3,448,000 viewers belonged to Alcaraz as he belted his way to a three sets to one victory over his much older and experienced opponent. The first set belonged to Djokovic who won quite easily 6-2. He demonstrated his formidably accurate forehand, making next to none unforced errors.


It wasn’t until Alcaraz made an adjustment of playing Djokovic’s serves further back on the court that the 38-year-old started making errors. This gave Alcaraz an opportunity to pounce, which ultimately saw him win the next three sets and his first ever Australian Open.



The broadcaster also smashed the BVOD ratings with 905,000 tennis fans streaming the final on 9now.


Over on Seven the most popular entertainment program of the night was Border Security, locking up a reach total TV national reach of 1,313,000 and an average of 702,000. For 10, it’s most watched entertainment program was I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here, which continued it’s strong run.



By Oliver Cerovic
2nd February 2026 , 12:29 PM

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[Vince Evert]

Game, Set, Match: Nine’s AO 2026 Serves Up Record Audience Growth​

AO Men’s Final the highest-rating in VOZ history
AO Men’s Final the highest-rating AO session on BVOD ever
AO Men’s Final the highest-rating since 2017
AO Women’s Final the highest-rating since 2022


9Network’s exclusive coverage of the 2026 Australian Open has delivered huge results and stellar year-on-year growth, reaching over 14.31 million Australians across the two-week broadcast – an increase of 9.3% year-on-year.
Last night’s 2026 Australian Open – Men’s Final was Australia’s dominant No.1 program. It captivated the nation as Carlos Alcaraz claimed his maiden Australian Open title in a nail-biting showdown against Novak Djokovic, drawing a massive Total TV Reach of 6.302 million and a National Total TV audience of 3.448 million – up 67.0% year-on-year.
Across BVOD, the 2026 Australian Open – Men’s Final was the highest-rating Men’s Final in VOZ history and the highest-rating AO session on BVOD ever, claiming 905,000 viewers – up 135.7% year-on-year.
Furthermore, the 2026 Australian Open – Men’s Final significantly increased Total TV audiences across all metro markets:

• Sydney Up 75.5% year-on-year (732,000 vs 417,000)
• Melbourne Up 57.2% year-on-year (954,000 vs 607,000)
• Brisbane Up 95.1% year-on-year (435,000 vs 223,000)
• Adelaide Up 75.9% year-on-year (204,000 vs 116,000)
• Perth Up 77.3% year-on-year (195,000 vs 110,000)

The 2026 Australian Open – Women’s Final, featuring Elena Rybakina’s victory over Aryna Sabalenka delivered a National Total TV Reach of 3.816 million viewers and a National Total TV Average Audience of 2.135 million – up 30.1% year-on-year. It also secured a BVOD audience of 500,000 – up a massive 106.6% on last year.
The 2026 Australian Open – Women’s Final was the highest-rating Women’s singles final since Ash Barty won in 2022 for Total TV.
In addition, the 2026 Australian Open – Women’s Final increased its Total TV audiences across all markets:

• Sydney Up 48.5% year-on-year (432,000 vs 291,000)
• Melbourne Up 34.5% year-on-year (627,000 vs 466,000)
• Brisbane Up 72.9% year-on-year (268,000 vs 155,000)
• Adelaide Up 26.8% year-on-year (123,000 vs 97,000)
• Perth Up 6.3% year-on-year (84,000 vs 79,000)

The 2026 Australian Open Day 13 Night Session, featuring the epic semi-final battle where Carlos Alcaraz claimed victory over Alexander Zverev, achieved a National Total TV Reach of 3.657 million viewers, a National Total TV Average Audience of 1.974 million (up 83.6% on the same night last year) and a BVOD audience of 427,000 – up a massive 160.6% year-on-year.
Furthermore, the 2026 Australian Open Day 13 Night Session 2 with Novak Djokovic’s incredible five set win over defending AO champion Jannik Sinner, recorded a National Total TV Reach of 3.209 million, a National Total TV Average Audience of 1.757 million (up 65.9% on the same night last year) and a BVOD audience of 456,000 – up a massive 151.9% year-on-year.

Brent Williams, Nine’s Director of Sport, said: “The 2026 Australian Open has once again proven it’s the undisputed king of the summer of sport. The energy was there from the get go – the ‘one-point slam’ during the pre-week was a massive moment that really ignited the fans early and set the stage for everything that followed.

“Seeing such huge year-on-year growth across the fortnight is a credit to the incredible athletes and the world-class production from our Wide World of Sports team. By partnering with Tennis Australia, we’ve delivered a multi-platform experience that brings fans closer to their heroes than ever.
“The Australian viewers have responded in record numbers, proving that Nine remains the premier destination for world-class sport.”
Monday 2 February, 2026


https://www.nineforbrands.com.au/me...nes-ao-2026-serves-up-record-audience-growth/

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