Seven Network's coverage of this year's AFL Grand Final has amassed the highest television ratings for the match since Seven took back free-to-air screening rights in 2007.

The dual state showdown between Sydney Swans and Western Bulldogs resulted in 6.5 million football lovers tuning across Australia, with an average across the metro cities and regional homes of 4.089 million viewers, up 16 per cent on last year.

At its peak, when the game was in its dying minutes of the final quarter, 5.160 million viewers were watching.

In Melbourne, an average audience of 1.446 million in-home viewers watched the Bulldogs fairytale unfold, the highest Melbourne audience since the drawn 2010 Grand Final between Collingwood and St Kilda.