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Saturday night's AFL Grand Final was a ratings winner for Channel Seven.
An average national audience of 3.91 million tuned in to watch the Melbourne Demons end a 57-year premiership drought by triumphing over the Western Bulldogs.
In locked-down Melbourne alone, the game attracted an audience of 1.64 million viewers, up three percent from the year before.
Hitting targets: Saturday night's AFL Grand Final was a ratings winner for Channel 7. Pictured: Christian Petracca takes a kick during the game
Nation wide, 100,000 more watched the Perth-hosted clash than last year's grand final in Brisbane, which raked in 3.81 million viewers.
The 2021 final was the highest-rating decider for the code since 2016.
The ratings bonanza occurred with Victorians - including those in Melbourne and Geelong - still locked down amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Smash: The ratings bonanza occurred with Victorians - including those in Melbourne and Geelong - still locked down amid the ongoing ongoing Covid-19 pandemic
This year's ratings enjoyed a huge 33 per cent increase on the 2019 decider, when the Tigers beat GWS in the most recent afternoon grand final at the MCG.
Seven said the Demons' victory was watched by an additional 197,000 viewers on connected televisions and recorded more than twice the number of online streaming minutes of last year's decider.
It was the largest television audience for a grand final since 2016 - and the fifth-largest ever.
Captive audience: In locked-down Melbourne alone, the game attracted an audience of 1.64 million viewers, up three percent from the year before. Pictured: Victoria police keeping the
