Paramount+ reveals 2024 A-League Men Grand Final broadcasting success

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Image credit: Robert Cianflone

Paramount+ have released impressive numbers regarding how the A-League performed in the Grand Final digitally and on broadcast TV.

The A-League Men 2024 Grand Final reached 1.12 million Australians with audiences up 12% year-on-year.

It broke the previous record as the most-watched match on 10 and 10 Play and was very popular with the 16-39 age group, with it being the #2 program of the night.

The A-League Men’s and Women’s 2023/24 season reached a combined 5.72 million Australians across Network 10, 10 Play and Paramount+ which highlights the impact the new digital broadcast has.

The 2023/24 A-League Men’s season was up 16% on broadcast TV, 33% on 10 Play and 53% on Paramount+.

The Liberty A-League Women’s audiences grew 114% on 10 Play and 125% on Paramount+.

The A-League All Stars Men vs. Newcastle United, and A-League All Stars Women vs. Arsenal Women matches reached 557,000 Australians on 10.

Paramount Australia Sports Production Director Adam Cush said via media release:

“As the Home of Australian Football, Paramount is committed to our partnership with the APL and the growth of the A-Leagues.

“The Isuzu UTE A-League Men’s 2024 Grand Final was a testament to this dedication, drawing unprecedented viewership numbers and showcasing the power of football in Australia. It’s been a phenomenal season of action across Network 10, 10 Play, and Paramount+ and we can’t wait to do it again next season for the 20th anniversary of the league.”

Nick Bower, Paramount Australia’s General Manager of Ad Sales, explained the broadcast success of the season and specifically the Grand Final.

“The incredible passion exhibited by the Central Coast Mariners and Melbourne Victory, along with the record number of fans at Industree Group Stadium and the biggest ever audiences watching at home, highlight everything that makes football in this country extraordinary,” Bower added in a statement.

“We extend our gratitude to our partners and clients for their support and enthusiasm, as they too benefited from the impressive audiences this thrilling final series attracted.”

Commenting on the Grand Final and the 2023/24 season gone, A-Leagues Commissioner Nick Garcia described the success of the finals series and what the future has in store for the league.

“It’s been an incredible finals series with sold out crowds, record TV viewers and fantastic football, and what a way to cap it off with the highest ever Industree Group Stadium crowd and history being made on the pitch,” Garcia added via media release.

“As the curtain falls on an exciting season, we would like to thank our fantastic fans who showed up week in week out, contributing to an atmosphere that sets our game apart from the rest. We now look forward to what will be the 20th anniversary of the Isuzu UTE A-League Men and another phenomenal season of A-Leagues action.”

Digitally, the A-League is seemingly popular, with it being named the second most engaging sport by YouGov in 2023. Specifically the 18-34 age range in that study were by far the most engaged, insisting there is a future audience for the league.

The future of Paramount+, 10 and 10 Play past 2026 is still up in the air, but the numbers are encouraging, and the A-League finals series provided an insight into there being interest in the local game for a feasible future.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

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Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

 

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Marie-Louise Eta makes history as new Union Berlin head coach

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Image credit: FC Union Berlin

In an historic appointment, Eta will take over as head coach of Union Berlin until the end of the season.

History in the making

Previously the first female assistant coach in Bundesliga history with Union Berlin, Eta will now take the reigns of the men’s first team on an interim basis.

Currently, the club sit in 11th place in the Bundesliga table, but with only two wins so far in 2026, relegation appears an all-too-real prospect, and one which the club is desperate to avoid.

“Given the points gap in the lower half of the table, our place in the Bundesliga is not yet secure,” said Eta via official media release.

‘I am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of Union’s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations.”

Eta will begin as Union’s new head coach with immediate effect, and will be in the dugout for the club’s matchup against Wolfsburg this weekend.

 

A step into an equal future

Eta’s appointment signals a major step towards a more level playing field in the football landscape.

Furthermore, Eta joins other coaches including Sabrinna Wittmann, Hannah Dingley and Corinne Diacre who, in recent years, have blazed a trail for female coaches to step into the men’s game.

Wittmann currently manages FC Ingolstadt in Germany’s third division, and was the first female head coach in Germany’s top three divisions.

In 2023, Dingley became caretaker manager of Forest Green Rovers, and thus the first woman to lead a men’s professional team in England.

Diacre, now head coach of France’s women’s national team, managed Ligue 2’s Clerment Foot between 2014 and 2017.

 

Final thoughts

The impact therefore, is that Eta’s appointment will show future generations of aspiring female coaches that men’s football is an equally viable and possible pathway as the women’s game.

The time is now to level the playing field.

And while it may be a short-term role, its effect on attitudes towards equality and fair opportunities in the game will hopefully resonate long after the season ends.

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