State of Origin dominates airwaves with record-breaking figures posted
New South Wales Blues celebrate their victory in game one of the 2025 State of Origin series
Yesterday’s Men’s State of Origin series opener has become the most watched TV program in Australia this year, while also posting a bumper sellout crowd at Suncorp Stadium.
The Blues came out with an 18-6 win over the Maroons in the first match of the three-game series, making it two wins on the spin at the spiritual home of their bitter rivals.
New South Wales are also in search of their second successive series victory, after winning the 2024 edition 2-1.
State of Origin posts bumper ratings
The live coverage, aired on free-to-air channel Nine in Australia, became the most watched program so far this calendar year yesterday, posting a bumper average viewership of 3.75 million. That in itself is a huge number, but it’s also 38% higher than the next highest watched program this year.
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On top of that, it’s also an 11% increase from the 2024 opener at Accor Stadium, which the Blues also won.
It was also the number one program in all Australian markets, including in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, and it was also the number one program among all age demographics (16-39, 25-54 and 35+).
Aside from the TV figures, Origin was once again a huge pull on social media.
Yesterday’s match saw 28.6 million social impressions on the NRL’s social media channels and over one million Google searches for State of Origin in the 24 hours surrounding the event.
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To top it all off, Suncorp posted an official sellout of 52,000 for the match.
This also comes off the back of huge NRL figures, too, with the 2025 season seeing a 4.2% increase on year-to-date viewership on what were already record-breaking numbers in 2024.
The Men’s series continues next month, with game two taking place on June 18th at Optus Stadium, Perth and game three on July 9th at Accor Stadium, Sydney. A victory for the Blues in Perth, the future home of the NRL’s latest expansion side, Perth Bears, would see them claim the title, but a Maroon’s win would see it come down to a decider.
READ MORE: Origin I conclusions: Changes for Game II, woeful Maroons, one Blues issue
