THURSDAY night football has again proved its massive value as a marquee AFL timeslot, averaging 970,000 viewers across Australia this season.
Three of this season's seven Thursday night fixtures have eclipsed the one-million viewer mark, while another three posted more than 900,000 sets of eyes across Seven and Fox Footy.
The quality of the contest is a factor, with the round 13 clash between Port Adelaide 57-point win over the Western Bulldogs recording the lowest viewership in the timeslot at 716,000.
The appetite for Thursday night football remains huge for the League and networks, but the opportunities are limited because of the desire for teams to have minimum six-day gaps between matches.
In a season where events like the Commonwealth Games, royal wedding and soccer world cup have had an influence on audiences, Thursday night football has again held its own.
The figures don't include those streaming via Telstra's AFL Live Official App.
The Thursday night slot is also a boon for the clubs that feature, with added national exposure for major sponsors.
Reigning premiers Richmond and the Sydney Swans each featured three times on the Thursday night stage this year. Adelaide and Geelong had two appearances.
The Adelaide Oval hosted three of the seven games, with more than 120,000 fans streaming through the turnstiles, proving unlike other codes, fans will turn up to Thursday night matches.
Thursday night footy by the numbers
| Round | Match/Result | Viewers | Crowd/Venue |
| 1 | Richmond d Carlton by 26 points | 1.18million | 90,151/MCG |
| 2 | Adelaide d Richmond by 36 points | 1.05million | 49,743/Adelaide Oval |
| 13 | Port Adelaide d W.Bulldogs by 57 points | 716,000 | 26,137/Adelaide Oval |
| 14 | Essendon d West Coast by 28 points | 939,000 | 51,409/Optus Stadium |
| 15 | Richmond d Sydney by 26 points | 1.06million | 43,518/Etihad Stadium |
| 16 | Geelong d Sydney by 12 points | 942,000 | 34,363/SCG |
| 17 | Adelaide d Geelong by 15 points | 907,000 | 46,095/Adelaide Oval |
