Australian Open delivers record $722 million in economic benefits

Visitors to AO 2026 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.

VIEW: Fact sheet - AO 2026 economic benefits

“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,” he said.

“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 AO 2025, 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

AO 2026 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 AO 2022 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 AO 2025.

Domestic broadcast highlights**

AO 2026 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

AO 2026 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

AO 2026 saw average audiences climb 25 per cent YOY to 696,000 across National Total TV; traditional linear TV enjoyed 13 per cent growth, while digital streaming had a 101 per cent surge

AO programming had the highest Total TV reach on 14 days of AO 2026. 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 AO 2026

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 quarterfinal 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 AO 2026

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

Click here to read article