This weekend will see the league break the 3 million spectators mark - it is currently at 2,935,181 - and begin to threaten the 1995 record of 3,061,338, set when the championship had 20 teams as opposed to today's 16. The NRL has increased attendances 2.12 per cent this season so far.
Free-to-air television ratings for Friday night matches on broadcaster the Nine Network are up 3.6 per cent in Sydney and 16.1 per cent in Brisbane, and for Sunday matches up 16.2 per cent in Sydney and 6 per cent in Brisbane.
On pay-television, rugby league matches account for 60 of the top 100 audiences across all programme genres in 2009, with 15 matches recording audiences over 300,000, almost double last year’s figure.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the figures have been achieved in the context of a season which has been bookended by two of the top players - Manly's Brett Stewart and Melbourne's Greg Inglis - have been charged by police for serious crimes, and filled in by numerous other allegations of wrongdoing and criminal behaviour by players and other connected with the game.
