After 2025 produced one of the most memorable seasons in the game's history, it was only fitting that the NRL grand final delivered an epic contest between the Broncos and Storm.
With Reece Walsh at the peak of his powers and Melbourne's posse of superstars doing their best to match him, the 2025 decider had all the hallmarks of a classic and that's exactly how it played out.
A see-sawing contest that saw the Storm lead by 10 at the break before the Broncos ran them down had viewers across the country on the edge of their seats - all 4.55 million of them.
Putting an exclamation mark on an unbelievable finals series that produced record ratings, the grand final was the No.1 TV program in Australia in 2025.
The premiership decider, won 26-22 by the Broncos after a brilliant display by Clive Churchill Medal recipient Walsh set a number of broadcast records including:
- The most-watched grand final in Australian sports history
- Australia’s most streamed sporting event ever, with 1.3m watching on 9Now, up 68% year-on-year, and;
- The grand final reached a historic 6.4m Australians, up 21% year-on-year.
In addition, the 2025 grand final was Australia’s No.1 most-watched program across key demographics and major markets; ranking No.1 among 16–39s and 25–54s, as well as in NSW, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia.
This Reece Walsh performance will be remembered for a long time
Finals viewership for 16-39 audiences across Finals Weeks 1 to 3 was up 54% year on year as a string of pulsating contests featuring the Broncos, Raiders, Storm and Panthers helped build the season to its crescendo at Accor Stadium on October 5.
With Rugby League Las Vegas 2026 less than a week away, NRL fans are again building up for a spectacular season as the Broncos look to defend their title and 16 other teams try to wrest it away.
