Australian Football League chief executive Gillon McLachlan bemoans the amount of buffering at the Melbourne Cricket Ground when a big crowd piles in and many of the spectators are hunting for information and statistics through apps on their mobiles. The sheer volume of people means smooth downloads are few and far between.

He says digital disruption is hitting the AFL and one of the biggest challenges it faces is being able to service the enormous growth in demand for instant information.

Tim Worner (left) and AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan at the Australian Open tennis men's final in 2016. Credit:Michael Dodge

Mr McLachlan says he was at the Australian Open tennis final on Sunday night watching Novak Djokovic beat Andy Murray at Melbourne Park and had an app open with statistics and information that enhanced his live viewing experience. It all worked smoothly. He acknowledged that at the Australian Open there was a crowd of 15,000 which was much less than a big crowd at the MCG for an important AFL match, which grapples with technical problems if large numbers of people are using mobiles at the same time.

Digital disruption is having a big impact at many levels.