THURSDAY night's thriller between Geelong and Port Adelaide has proved a ratings bonanza for television rights holders, eclipsing one million viewers.

In the first of five consecutive weeks of Thursday night games, the increasingly popular marquee timeslot attracted mega audiences.

The combined average metro and regional audience on Seven and 7mate was 753,000, according to the overnight figures from ratings provider OzTam.

The free-to-air coverage peaked at 1,089,000.

An additional 247,000 average audience watched on Fox Footy, peaking at 344,000.

Thousands more watched on Telstra's AFL Live App and overseas through the Watch AFL service.

Fox Footy provided extended post-game analysis, while Seven turned to comedy with its Front Bar show, offering fans a distinct choice – along with radio coverage from six commentary teams. 

Still to come on Thursday nights:
June 1: Port Adelaide v Hawthorn at Adelaide Oval
June 8: Sydney Swans v Western Bulldogs at SCG
June 15: West Coast v Geelong at Domain Stadium
June 22: Adelaide Crows v Hawthorn at Adelaide Oval