State of Origin delivers record BVOD audience for Nine

State of Origin I has delivered Nine a record-breaking night, with the opening game of the 2026 series becoming the highest rating Origin match in VOZ history and the biggest BVOD audience ever recorded.

The match reached 5.77 million people nationally across Total TV and delivered a Total TV audience of 3.99 million, up 6.2% year-on-year.

On 9Now, Origin I recorded a BVOD audience of 1.52 million, up 57.6% year-on-year. Nine said the result beat the previous overnight BVOD record of 978,000, set by Origin III in 2025, which had surpassed the Matildas v England World Cup semi-final.

The result also made Origin I 2026 the highest rating State of Origin game since Origin II in 2014, when NSW ended Queensland’s run of eight consecutive series wins.

Amanda Laing, managing director streaming and broadcast at Nine, said the result showed the strength of Nine’s live sport ecosystem across broadcast and streaming.

“Nine is the home of Rugby League, and last night’s State of Origin audience demonstrates the unmatched power of Nine’s connected live sport ecosystem to deliver truly national moments at scale,” Laing said.

“The record-breaking streaming audience on 9Now, alongside strong Total TV growth year-on-year, reflects the continued evolution of audience behaviour and the growing demand for premium live sport experiences across every screen and every platform.

“Importantly, it reinforces the strength of Nine’s Total TV strategy, combining the scale of mass audiences with the accessibility and engagement of streaming to maximise reach, fandom and commercial impact around Australia’s biggest sporting moments.”

Post-match coverage was also up 54.1% year-on-year across Total TV, while BVOD viewing on 9Now jumped 128%.

Origin I was the number one program of the night in Sydney, with a Total TV audience of 1.07 million, and Brisbane, with 987,000 viewers. It also topped the night in Melbourne with 302,000 viewers.

The match ranked second for the night in Perth, with 160,000 viewers, and Adelaide, with 103,000 viewers.

The result helped Nine become the number one network on Wednesday across the five-city metro market for total people and all key demographics. 9Now was also the top commercial free-to-air BVOD platform nationally across total people and all key demographics.