In 2023, the Australian Football League (AFL) website emerged as the most visited sports website in Australia, attracting approximately 1.89bn total visits, according to a study conducted by Melbourne-based SEO service, Impressive.com.

The study, which used Semrush and Ahrefs to analyse web traffic data, showed that Fox Sports ranked second with around 1.65bn total visits while Sports Bet secured the third spot with approximately 903m total visits. NBA and TAB ranked fourth and fifth respectively.

The AFL website received an average of 158.1 million visits per month, with the highest number of visits recorded in October, when it received approximately 232 million website visits.

Fox Sports Australia had the most visits in March last year, with around 199.9 million visits, and receives an average of 137.8 million visits each month.

Sports Bet was most popular in October, receiving around 86.1 million visits, and garners an average of 75.2 million visits each month. NBA Australia had the most hits in July 2023, with 89.4 million visits, and receives an average of 55.9 million web visits per month.

TAB had the most visits in March 2023 with 71.9 million total visits and receives an average of 55.5 million visits per month.

Other sports or sports news websites to make the top ten include ESPN, Formula 1, Racenet, Cricket, and The Age. According to a report released by Clearinghouseforsport.gov.au, 41% of Australians aged 15 and above participated in a sport-related activity at least once a week during 2022.

"Many Aussies are huge sports fans, so it comes as little surprise to see such big annual numbers for these sites across the industry," said Robert Tadros, CEO and Founder of Impressive.com. "In fact, 41% of Australians [aged 15+] participated in a sport-related activity at least once a week during 2022, according to a report about participation in sport released by Clearinghouseforsport.gov.au."

Tadros also noted the significant presence of streaming services in the top ten, suggesting a shift from traditional television viewing to online platforms due to the increased choice and freedom they offer. "The large number of streaming services in the top ten also suggests a shift from watching or catching up on sports on standard television due to the increased choice and freedom available online instead," he said.