The GIANTS’ nail-biting Preliminary Final against the Western Bulldogs was the second most-watched match in AFL history outside of a Grand Final. 

While the GIANTS fell a goal short of reaching a maiden Grand Final, the narrow loss will go down in history as the second most-watched ­AFL game ever, aside from an AFL Grand Final. 

The gripping contest at Spotless Stadium saw a total average audience of 2.387 million people tune in across Channel Seven, 7 Mate and Fox Footy, while it reached a peak audience of 3.65 million people.

It was the highest rating non Grand Final since the 2007 Preliminary Final between Geelong and Collingwood and had the largest viewing audience ever recorded for an AFL game on Foxtel.

The impressive figures come on the back of strong growth in the GIANTS' television ratings, crowds and membership in 2016. 

Television viewership for GIANTS games was up more than 40% in 2016, with Saturday’s record rating seeing that figure increase even further.

Crowds at GIANTS home games were also up 21%, while membership passed 15,000 for the first time, growing by over 13%.

GIANTS Chief Executive David Matthews welcomed the record figures.

“While Saturday night was a disappointing result for our club and our fans, it was terrific to see so many people tuned in to watch the match across the country,” Mr Matthews said.

“To not only set a new record attendance for AFL at Spotless Stadium with 21,790 on Saturday, but to have the second most watched AFL game outside of a Grand Final is a fantastic achievement for our club in just our fifth season.

“We achieved significant growth both on and off field in 2016 and play an exciting brand of football that people want to watch.

“Following a string of high rating games late in the season, we look forward to working with the AFL and our broadcast partners to ensure the GIANTS are well represented in the key time slots to maximise attendance and television viewership in 2017."