As the winter chill descends, Paramount Australia and Network 10 are turning up the heat with a football slate that is not just ambitious, but resonant.
With marquee moments on the horizon and domestic codes firing on all cylinders, the network is delivering more than just match coverage, it’s cultivating cultural moments.
A-League on the rise: viewership and attendance grow
With the Isuzu UTE A-League Men careening into its Grand Final this weekend, the competition has struck a rich vein of momentum.
National television audiences have climbed 8% compared to last year, while total season attendance is on track to reach its highest peak since 2016/17.
Semi-finals played last weekend pushed the league past 1.5 million fans through the gates for the first time since 2018/19.
Broadcast performance is following suit. Network 10’s free-to-air coverage has risen 8%, while streaming via 10 Play has surged by 20%. It’s clear fans are following their teams, and increasingly, individual players, wherever they are.
Stars in stripes: Matildas and Socceroos headline Paramount’s global strategy
At the heart of Paramount’s sporting surge sits Australia’s national teams. In the past year alone, the CommBank Matildas and Subway Socceroos reached a combined 9.8 million Australians.
The Matildas alone attracted 5.8 million viewers, with a 63% spike in minutes watched on Paramount+. Their upcoming matches against Argentina, Slovenia and Panama promise to feed the appetite of a growing fanbase.
Meanwhile, the Socceroos are eyeing redemption on the road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with a pivotal qualifier against Japan set for 5 June in Perth.
Viewership for their games on Paramount+ has jumped 66% year-on-year, and their most-watched match on 10 Play made network history.
The AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026, with host cities including Perth, Gold Coast and Sydney, looms as another high watermark for the network.
Whole-of-network strategy builds sporting momentum
For Director of Sport Production Adam Cush, it all comes down to synergy. “We’re fortunate that we’ve got a talented production team and a talented team at 10 that live and breathe football. They care about it,” he says.
That passion has driven strategic innovations, like the Saturday night free-to-air doubleheaders and the hybrid broadcast/entertainment format Football Tonight, presented by Shark Ninja. According to Cush, it’s been a “breath of fresh air” for both talent and viewers.
“You can bring in comedians, AFL or NRL stars who love the game, just to talk about it differently. I think that’s been a key driver in the growth numbers you’ve seen,” he says.
With brands like CommBank, Subway and Shark Ninja aligning with Paramount’s programming, the network is leaning into football’s appeal to a wide, multicultural audience. As Cush puts it, “Football caters to a very diverse demographic of Australians.”
Telling stories, building icons: Tara Rushton and the power of visibility
Sports presenter Tara Rushton, who joined 10 News First Sydney earlier this year, believes the shift in fandom has moved beyond club colours. It’s now deeply personal. “They fall in love with the player first, and then that tips them into the team,” she says.
Rushton sees the momentum following the FIFA Women’s World Cup as a turning point. “It’s the visibility of female athletes on the front page or the back page of newspapers. It’s about young girls and boys seeing someone they can grow up to become.”
From exclusive sideline moments to tunnel chats, Rushton is passionate about bringing the viewer closer. “Tell them what they might not be able to see through the pictures,” she says.
“Really break down that barrier between the TV and the screen.”
She sees female footballers as especially compelling: “They’re first on the pitch and they’re last off the pitch. And it doesn’t go unnoticed by the fans.”
From Wrexham to the world: Festival of Football lands in July
This July, Paramount will launch its new Festival of Football, a three-match tour featuring Wrexham AFC against Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix.
With the Hollywood glow of Wrexham’s celebrity ownership, the fixtures are expected to further elevate the network’s international cachet.
As Rushton puts it, “Football fans are always looking for more. Australians know when sport matters, when it’s meaningful. So it’s just about finding those opportunities, and the audience will come.”
DAZN’s arrival, and what it means for Australia’s streaming landscape
While Paramount is doubling down on football, global sports streamer DAZN is making its own play in Australia.
Following Nine’s $240 million, seven-year deal with World Rugby, DAZN will handle streaming of the HSBC SVNS (formerly World Sevens Series). The move marks DAZN’s most significant foray into Australian sports rights.
It’s part of a broader recalibration. In an environment where sports rights are increasingly fragmented, Paramount remains confident in its positioning.
“We understand it will be difficult with any set of rights,” Cush says, “but we’re also very comfortable with what we bring to the table.”
That includes cross-promotion across Paramount’s broadcast, digital and social ecosystem.
According to Cush, this whole-of-network advantage is crucial: “We know how to showcase marquee events. And we know how to tell great stories.”
Looking ahead: a relentless calendar and no off-season in sight
For both Rushton and Cush, the story doesn’t stop at the Grand Final or the next international window. From the Asian Cup in March to the Women’s World Cup in 2027, football’s runway is long and full of milestones.
As Rushton puts it: “We haven’t seen an appetite like this before. Month after month after month, there is no off-season. But it’s an absolute privilege to tell these stories.”
And in a nation that lives and breathes sport, Paramount seems poised to stay ahead of the pack, with boots on the ground, cameras in the tunnel and a whole-of-network vision driving the game forward.