AO Media Release, June 24, 2026

Australian Open 2026 set new benchmarks, breaking attendance records, attracting unprecedented visitor stays in Melbourne, and delivering record economic benefits to Victoria.

The event injecting $722.32 million into the local economy, according to a new IER report.

Over the past 10 years the Australian Open has generated more than $3.9 billion for Victoria.

Visitors to AO26 booked 705,239 nights in Victorian hotels, which was a 59.2 per cent increase on last year and the biggest on record. Daily spend within the community was also up, with the average daily spend per visitor $247.80.

62.6 per cent of all Australian Open attendees were from Melbourne, 18.6 per cent from interstate, 10.9 per cent from intrastate and 7.9 per cent from overseas.

The number of full-time jobs generated by the Australian Open was 2,547. The Grand Slam resulted in an extra 803 jobs in the accommodation, hotels and café sector, 191 jobs in retail trade, 113 jobs in road transport and another 70 jobs in construction.

Australian Open 2026 smashed previous attendance records with 1,368,043 fans attending across the three-week event including 217, 999 people in AO Opening Week.

“We are incredibly proud of what the Australian Open has become – not just a world-class sporting event, but a major economic driver for Victoria, bringing hundreds of thousands of fans from across Australia and billions around the world,” Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said.

“What we’ve achieved over the years goes far beyond attendance figures or global reach. It’s about the lasting impact we’ve created for local jobs, businesses and the broader community – something I’ll always be deeply proud of.”

“The Australian Open is more than a tennis tournament; it’s part of Melbourne’s identity. To have helped build an event that drives tourism, supports hospitality and showcases this city to the world is a legacy I’m incredibly grateful to have been part of.”

Australian Open 2026 had a global cumulative reach of 2.2 billion people, with 781 million hours viewed globally across a cross-platform audience.

Minister for Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos welcomed this year’s results, demonstrating how the Government’s unprecedented investment in Melbourne has helped the Australian Open reach new heights.

“The Australian Open is a pillar of our state’s major events calendar and, once again, it has scored a new record for delivering economic benefits for Victoria. This is not just a number – it represents full hotels, thriving restaurants and bars, and millions flowing into businesses across the state and supporting local jobs.”

“That is why we have invested more than $1 billion to help make Melbourne Park a truly world-class sporting and major events venue. This has supported another record attendance across three weeks of sport and entertainment, attracting visitors from around the globe to Melbourne and showcasing Australia’s major events capital to the world.”

Key Economic Benefits 

·      The total expenditure stimulus generated in Melbourne by Australian Open 2026 is $722.32 million – this 27 per cent uplift on the previous year includes visitor and event organiser spend plus all attendee spend related to the AO.

·      The Australian Open generated $549.6 million for the Melbourne economy

·      Australian Open 2026 generated more than $519.9 million for the Victorian economy

·      The Australian Open has generated more than $3.9 billion for Victoria over the past 10 years.

Jobs 

·      The number of full-time equivalent jobs generated was 2547

·      Australian Open 2026 resulted in 803 jobs in the accommodation, hotels and café sector, 191 jobs in retail trade, 113 in road transport and 70 jobs in construction services.

Tourism facts 

·      The Australian Open generated 705, 239 bed nights in Melbourne, up 59.2 per cent on AO25, the biggest on record

·      The 2026 average daily spend per visitor was $247.80 

·      62.6 per cent of all Australian Open attendees were from Melbourne, 18.6 per cent from interstate, 10.9 per cent from intrastate and 7.9 per cent from overseas

·      Social activities were the most popular leisure activities with 72.5 per cent of visitors participating. A further 43.4 per cent enjoyed outdoor and nature activities, 41.3 per cent took part in arts and culture activities, and 30.5 per cent took an organised tour or visited an attraction.

Attendance

·      Australian Open 2026 smashed previous attendance records with 1,368,043 fans attending across the three-week event including 217, 999 people in AO Opening Week

·      More than 1.7 million people attended events across the entire Australian Summer of Tennis.

·      More than 8.1 million people have attended the Australian Open over the last 10 years

·      Thursday 22 January was the highest attended day/night in the history of the Australian Open with 103,956 fans through the gates

·       Records were broken for 11 individual sessions and 15 day/night totals.

Key perception benefits

·      97.9 per cent of Victorian attendees surveyed believe that is important for Victoria to host the AO each year

·      90.6 per cent of visitors who attended Australian Open 2026 agree that the AO is a major highlight in the sporting calendar and 91.7 per cent believe that it puts the attention of the world onto Australia during the event

·      More than 60 per cent of visiting attendees would recommend visiting Victoria, indicating a positive perception of the region

·      ‘Exciting’ ‘Vibrant’ and ‘Welcoming’ were the attributes most associated with the Australian Open.

Global viewership*

·      Australian Open 2026 had a global cumulative reach of 2.2 billion people with more than 781 million hours viewed

·      A record 136,769 coverage hours were broadcast around the globe

·      The top five countries by total hours viewed were Australia, China, USA, Japan and Poland

·      AO26 was the most-watched AO in the US in over a decade with 100 million hours viewed. Viewership growth was achieved across all demographics, most notably with a 61 per cent YOY increase in 18–34-year-olds

·      Carlos Alcaraz’s run to the title helped increase hours viewed in Spain by 86 per cent on 2025, the highest level since AO22 when Rafael Nadal won his last AO Men’s Singles title

·       Poland became the No.1 territory in Europe for the first time, with a record 35 million hours viewed, up 21 per cent on AO25.

Domestic broadcast highlights** 

·      AO26 enjoyed record domestic viewership, with a total of 179 million hours viewed, a 20 per cent YOY increase and +21 per cent vs the 5-year average

·       AO26 had a tournament reach of 14.3 million viewers – a 9.7 per cent YOY increase, and the highest since 2022 when Ash Barty and the ‘Special Ks, (Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis)’ lifted trophies

·       AO26 saw average audiences climb 25 per cent YOY to 696,000 across National Total TV; traditional linear TV enjoying 13 per cent growth, while digital streaming had a 101 per cent surge

·       AO programming had the highest Total TV reach on fourteen days of AO26. On average, the most watched AO program of the day had a Total TV reach of 3.1 million viewers

·       Nine’s commercial FTA share on linear TV averaged 64.5 per cent during the second week of AO26

·       The historic 2026 Men’s Singles Final was the highest-rating Men’s Final since 2017; hours viewed were +77 per cent YOY, with a National TV Reach of 6.3 million, National Total TV Average Audience of 3.4 million (+67 per cent YOY), and a BVOD audience of 905,000 (+136 per cent YOY)

·       Elena Rybakina’s victory in the 2026 Women’s Singles Final was the highest-rating Women’s Final since Ash Barty’s triumph in 2022; hours viewed were +26 per cent YOY, with a National Total TV Reach of 3.82 million, a National Total TV Average Audience of 2.14 million (+30 per cent YOY), and a BVOD audience of 500,000 (+95 per cent YOY)

·       Outside of finals weekend, Alex De Minaur’s quarter-final defeat to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz was the highest-rating match of the tournament, with a National Total TV Reach of 3.55 million and a National Total TV Average Audience of 1.99 million.

Media, Content and Digital

·      AO social channels had more than 4.6 billion impressions

·      There were more than 142 million AO web and app visits

·      1.1 billion impressions generated by more than 700 AO influencers – up 160 per cent year on year

·      There were 16 million total AO social followers – with an additional 6.2 million on China social platforms

Tech & Broadcast Innovation

·      24-hour world feed continuous across all 15 days of the main draw

·      40 Cameras behind the scenes

·      9 new companies joined AO Startups at AO26.

About the study

Tennis Australia commissioned IER Pty Ltd to conduct the economic impact assessment for the Australian Open 2026. This follows on from the research that was conducted by Nielsen Sports prior to 2025.

• AO 2026 generated $722.32 million

• AO 2025 generated $565.8 million

• AO 2024 generated $533.2 million

• AO 2023 generated $375.3 million

• AO 2022 generated $267.3 million

• AO 2021 generated $138 million

• AO 2020 generated $387.7 million

• AO 2019 generated $347.2 million

• AO 2018 generated $293.2 million

• AO 2016 generated $278.1 million

• AO 2014 generated $245.5 million

• AO 2012 generated $239 million

• AO 2010 generated $160 million.

*Global viewership figures based on 2026 Futures Report 

**Domestic viewership figures based on OzTAM ratings