A STAGGERING 2.6 million minutes of the NAB AFL Women's competition was streamed through the League's new app last weekend.
The opening round of the brand new AFLW was such a success that more than 50,000 fans attended the four games, but the viewers tuning in online and on their own devices shows the enormous popularity of the League.
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan was forced to turn away fans at Ikon Park on Friday night, with the Carlton-Collingwood match officially declared a lockout, but some fans found a solution to the problem by watching the game live on the Telstra AFL Live App outside the ground.
Speaking at the launch of the new Telstra AFL Live App in Sydney, McLachlan said the outstanding success of the AFLW's opening matches shows just how vital it is for the League to be at the forefront of modern technology.
"Last weekend was an incredible illustration of how technology and the right content can help create new fans and new audiences," he said.
"Through our website and apps, the AFL clubs were able to speak to fans long before that opening game, build the profiles of the players, share their story, and share their journey.
"By the opening round the fans knew who they were cheering for, they knew about Mo Hope, they knew about Darcy Vescio, and that’s the power of having the right content and technology.
"There were 2.6 million minutes of AFLW streamed over round one via the app.
"The new Telstra Live Pass fulfills one of the core promises of our game, for more fans to have more access (to the game) over more platforms, and we know the future of our will rely more on digital solutions for the demands of our fans."
Star Swan Isaac Heeney was on hand to help with the launch, and told AFL.com.au that while he's not in the habit of paying too much attention to the media, both he and his teammates are regular users of the AFL app.
"A few of the boys like going back and watching highlights of themselves," he laughed.
"Technology these days is ridiculous, you can go all the way back to 2012 and check stats and stuff like that.
"I don't read too much media, as hard as it is to avoid these days, but I definitely go in and look up stats because it's really beneficial for my footy and so accessible."
The updated version of the Telstra AFL Live App now features AFL content such as player profiles and fixtures, plus additional graphs and career stats, player-related videos and articles, and is available from the app store for both iOS and Android devices.
