SYDNEY'S thrilling three-point win over Adelaide has rocketed into top position as the season's most-watched Friday night game.

In what proved a primetime ratings bonanza, the only game of the season on a Friday night featuring two non-Victorian clubs drew 1.382 million viewers.

The bulk of the viewers watched on free-to-air, with an additional 363,630 watching on Fox Footy.

The figure doesn't include the thousands of viewers who watched on the go via Telstra's AFL Live App.

The numbers bode well for the upcoming finals series, with a majority of games likely to be played outside Victoria.

It's expected the AFL will schedule a Thursday night finals opener, followed by games on Friday night, Saturday afternoon and Saturday night.

The fixture for the opening weekend won't be finalised until after round 23 is complete, with eight of the nine games potentially having an impact on the makeup of the final eight.

It's possible there will be no games in Victoria on the opening weekend, in what's a certain ratings win for broadcasters.

Channel Seven will telecast every final live, with Fox Footy providing a simulcast and wrap around pre-game, half-time and post-game coverage.

Seven has the rights to show the Grand Final exclusively live nationwide with Fox Footy permitted to offer a replay in the evening.

FRIDAY NIGHT FIVE

2017'S MOST WATCHED GAMES IN FOOTY'S GLAMOUR TIMESLOT