THE AFL's push into China is gaining momentum on the back of record viewership numbers for this year's Grand Final.

A total of 5.67 million people in China watched Richmond hammer Greater Western Sydney by 89 points at the MCG on September 28.

That represents a sizeable increase of 15 per cent from the previous year's encounter between West Coast and Collingwood.

The Shanghai Media Group (average of 2.852 million, up from 2.415m in 2018) and Guangzhou TV (2.589m, up from 2.503m) broadcast the Grand Final on free-to-air television in China, while Tencent and BestTV showed the game on streaming platforms.

There was also strong interest in the lead-up to the decider, with up to 1.36 million people tuning in to each week of the finals.

The centrepiece of the AFL's China strategy is the annual game featuring Port Adelaide, which this year was watched by 4.01 million people in China.

The game was shown on two free-to-air television networks in China.

The Power hosted St Kilda at Jiangwan Stadium in Shanghai for the first time this year after having Gold Coast as their opponents in 2017-18.

The Saints will return next year, with their clash with the Power locked in for round 11 of the 2020 season.