TA Press Release, August 9, 2022
A massive $405.3 million in economic benefit was generated by the Australian Open during the pandemic affected events in 2021 and 2022, according to a new Nielsen Sports report.
Over the past 10 years the Australian Open has contributed $2.71 billion to the Victorian economy.
“We are incredibly proud of the significant economic benefit the Australian Open contributes to the state of Victoria, particularly during the past two years which have presented countless challenges and hardship for so many,” Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley said.
The AO created the equivalent of more than 1650 full time jobs and 270,000 plus hotel room nights, with the average daily spend from visitors to Melbourne up 24 per cent on 2020. Broadcast, both domestic and global, achieved new heights, with Ash Barty’s historic victory still the highest-rating program of 2022, peaking at 4.261 million viewers in Australia. Globally, the scale and reach of the AO continues to grow and this year a remarkable 746 million hours was broadcast in 226 territories via 25 broadcast partners, a whopping 20 per cent increase on 2021.
“As the biggest sports and entertainment event in the world in January the Australian Open takes Melbourne and Victoria to the world, providing a global platform for exposure, and so importantly over the past two years, gave a major boost to the hard-hit hospitality, events and tourism sector.
“These numbers are even more remarkable considering the conditions at the time. Borders had recently opened, and international travel had barely restarted – leaving no time for planning for large sections of the tourism market. This all augers well for potentially the biggest return on record for AO 2023,” Tiley continued.
“Hosting the Australian Open is a key reason Melbourne is Australia’s sporting capital and it showcases our state to audiences right across the globe,” Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos said.
“These numbers highlight the massive economic benefit our action-packed sports and major events calendar brings to Victoria, and that’s why we’re continuing to invest in the major international sporting events that create more jobs and support businesses across the state.”
Key Economic Benefits
The Australian Open generated more than $405.3 million in economic benefit to the state of Victoria during the pandemic (AO22 and AO21)
In 2022, $267.3 million of Real Gross State Product was generated by the Australian Open while in 2021 the event generated $138 million of Real GSP
The economic benefit of the Australian Open for the past 10 years is equivalent to more than $2.71 billion.
Jobs
More than 1650 full time equivalent jobs were generated with 1109 created in 2022 and a further 547 in 2021
Australian Open 2022 resulted in an extra 247 jobs in accommodation, hotels and café sector, 167 jobs in entertainment, arts and gambling, 123 jobs in construction services and another 119 jobs in trade services.
Tourism
More than 270,000 bed nights were booked in Victorian hotels with 213,274 bed nights as a result of Australian Open 2022 providing a much-needed boost to the tourism industry
The 2022 average daily spend per visitor was $259, up 24 percent on Australian Open 2020
Attendees at Australian Open 2022 were 67.5 percent local, 30.8 percent from intrastate and interstate and 1.8 percent from overseas
Social activities were the most popular leisure activities with 77 percent of visitors participating, 42 percent took part in arts and culture activities, with 36 percent enjoying outdoor and nature activities and 21 percent taking an organised tour or visiting an attraction.
Attendance
More than half a million fans attended the Australian Open with 346,468 attendees in 2022 and a further 130,374 in 2021. Both tournaments were significantly affected by the pandemic with capacity limits, zoning and a five-day mid-event lockdown
373,544 people attended Australian Open and Melbourne Summer Series events in 2022
More than 6.34 million people have attended the Australian Open over the last 10 years.
Global viewership*
There were a record 101,072 broadcast coverage hours produced for Australian Open 2022 up 9 percent on 2021 – that’s equivalent to more than 11.5 years of coverage
746 million broadcast hours were viewed around the globe in 2022 up 20 percent on 2021 – equivalent to 851 centuries
Since taking over the host broadcast in 2015, Tennis Australia has produced more than 79 years of broadcast coverage or 693,523 hours and there has been more than 6707 centuries viewed worldwide Australian Open 2022 was broadcast in 226 territories globally, through 25 broadcast partners
All matches on all courts were available live and on-demand to fans in more than 130 territories, including through Nine and Stan in Australia, Sony in India, Discovery in Europe, ESPN in the Americas, beIN Sports in South-East Asia and WOWOW in Japan.
Ash Barty’s victory remains most viewed program in Australia so far this year**
Ash Barty’s Australian Open victory is the highest rating women’s final in OzTAM history, peaking at 4.132 million viewers nationally with an average audience of 3.594 million. The trophy presentation (attracting a national average audience of 3.882 million) and the match remains the No.1 and No.2 highest rated programs of 2022 to date
The men’s final between Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev peaked at 3.136 million and was the most watched program on Sunday in Australia
The Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis men’s doubles final was the highest rating Australian Open men’s doubles final in OzTAM history, with a peak of more than 3 million viewers
Dylan Alcott’s final match on RLA saw a peak of 1.447 million viewers making it the highest watched wheelchair match of all time. Nine delayed their 6pm news bulletin by 45 minutes to broadcast the match
Kyrgios’ loss to eventual AO finalist Medvedev drew a peak viewing audience of 1.628 million
Nine dominated the free-to-air viewing shares with all key demographics each day of the tournament
There were 162 million hours viewed across Nine’s platforms, up 61 percent on 2021.
Key perception benefits to Victoria
99 percent of Victorian residents surveyed say it is important for Victoria to host the Australian Open each year
88 percent of Victorian residents feel proud that Melbourne is the host of the Australian Open
92 percent of visitors who attended Australian Open 2022 agree that the AO is a major highlight in the global sporting calendar and that it puts the attention of the world onto Australia during the event
99 percent of Victorian residents recognise the support from Australian Open 2022 for local businesses and communities.
