The Key Numbers Behind Origin’s Success In 2022

State of Origin 2022 had everything: brilliant games, plenty of drama, mass turnouts both in person and at home, and a wealth of advertising opportunities. Here’s how rugby’s biggest rivalry captured the eyes of the nation.

The third game of Origin, held last week and won by a solid Queensland offense, was a big event by the numbers. There was a reported 1.7 million viewers tuning in on channel Nine to watch the game, matching the 1.77m for game one and 1.79m for game two. In a world where free-to-air tv is in a seemingly constant decline and streaming services are becoming the default for most Aussies, Origin managed to defy the odds.

On top of the metro numbers, there were 793k viewers in regional areas, and an average audience on 9Now of 463k, giving a total average audience size of over 3 million sets of eyeballs. That’s a phenomenal number of people, covering a wide range of age groups and target markets – and it doesn’t even take into account the number of people who were likely streaming the game on Kayo.

After 2020 and 2021 having some of the lowest in-person turnouts in recent memory thanks to covid, attendance was back up for 2022 as well, just in time for one of the best series of games imaginable. Game 3’s official recorded attendance was 59,358, which is comparable to the 2019 numbers at the last game held at Perth Stadium.

From an advertising perspective, there was plenty to cheer about. Fast food chains had a strong representation on-field, with KFC’s logo emblazoned on the ground for TV audiences and McDonald’s playing both sides of the match by sponsoring both team’s kits. Gambling options such as Sportsbet were rampant in the half-time ad breaks, while the sidelines were rolling through everything from streaming services to real estate ads.

Then there was the Menulog ad, returning from game two of the series. The Katy Perry edition of their infamous “did somebody say” campaign saw some brutal backlash after its debut earlier in the series, but it was back in full swing for game three on Wednesday. It’s an interesting pick to have a peppy Katy Perry song as your go-to ad for a titanic sporting clash like Origin, but all publicity is good publicity, and people were certainly talking about this one.

So, what’s the takeaway here? Well, Origin is alive and kicking (goals), and people are turning out in droves to watch it happen live. Those who are jumping in on the opportunity to advertise on the event are being rewarded with some of the biggest audiences Australian television can provide in a post-covid world. Even if your ad is getting some unexpected traction on Twitter – such as Menulog’s latest creation – there’s still so much to be gained from a sporting event such as Origin.

Australian sport is still the same drawcard it has always been, and if advertisers want to pick up some serious attention, then there’s no better time to get in on it than now.

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