Will Carter

Love it

Lucky enough to be @MCG yesterday to witness probably the single greatest sporting day event ever in Melbourne. Truly blown away by the size and scale of @NFL and everything that went into the game. The scenes were big business. Can’t wait for next time

So good. Love it Let’s go @RamsNFL

Wandered through the @NFL Kickoff Festival at Melbourne Park this afternoon, then back through the city. Serious buzz. This game has taken over Melbourne. Big events dominate Can’t wait for tomorrow’s game. #NFLMelbourne

Every massive sport was once easy to dismiss. NBA Finals on tape delay, Super Bowl half empty. Pickleball, padel, 3x3 are in that window now. Massive growth numbers. Old model: sport → broadcaster → audience. New: sport → community → audience → media. 9 of 26.

One thing from @sportnxtau: who actually owns the relationship with the fan? A broadcaster gives you viewers. A platform gives you reach. Neither gives you the email or the permission to speak to them directly. Rented attention doesn't compound. Owned relationships do. 8 of 26

Melbourne this week is a live case study in sports activation. Rams House at Crown. 49ers HQ at Transport. Kickoff Festival for 3 days. All before kickoff. The game isn't the only event anymore. Its what it built around it. 7 of 26.

In 5 days, the @NFL plays its first ever game on Australian soil. @RamsNFL v @49ers, MCG, crowd near 100,000. London, Brazil, now here. NFL doesn't export a game, it exports an entertainment property. The move isn't competing for attention. It's borrowing it. 6 of 26.

Everyone has a camera now. Every club, every athlete. Which means access isn't the story anymore. The Last Dance and Drive to Survive won on access. This year's flood of documentaries is proving the real winners are whoever finds a story worth caring about inside it. 5 of 26.

Clubs shouldn't just be asking: How do we get more fans? They should be asking: Which of our fans can bring more fans with them? The rise of AFTV, The United Stand, Redmen TV and AFL creator networks is changing the model. The superfan is becoming a media channel. 4 of 26

Sports media's fastest-growing audience lane isn't the broadcasters. Dan Does Footy: #1 sports podcast nationally, 466k followers. BackChat: 95m social views, 300k+ followers in 12 months. SEN Fireball: station's best ratings in 22 years. FANTERTAINERS 3 of 26.

Live sport, and everything built around it, is as powerful as ever. World Cup final: 66m viewers in the US. NBA Finals: 20.6m, biggest since 1998. Aus Open: 14.3m domestic. Origin decider: highest-rating ever. AFL's first Wildcard Finals: 172,769 fans, 7.4m viewers. 1 of 26.

The @AFL Grand Final is 26 days away. For the next 26 days I'm sharing one observation a day on what Season 2026 has taught me about sport, media and how brands, athletes and clubs are conquering the changing landscape.

Finals footy at Windy @essendonfc

First week with Mark McVeigh in charge and you could feel it. The response from our members and fans has been enormous. Thanks for getting around the new era with us. This is just the start. @essendonfc ⚫️🔴

Knicks in 5 @nyknicks – at Manhattan, NY

This was a brilliant moment pre-game to hear from an absolute icon of the @AFL and @essendonfc Love Longy!

Today is much more than football. But ANZAC Day is one of the best opportunities in the football calendar to tell real stories about real people. Today’s coverage is a great nod to our past that we take forward today. Thank you @superfooty @agerealfooty #ANZACDay @essendonfc

Big week for the club - Go Bombers.

Wowwww this kid is very good