A national total audience of 4.52 million and a reach of 6.5 million tuned in to watch Brisbane pull off their premiership three-peat - also records for the league's showpiece match.
Audience numbers for Seven and 7Plus were eight per cent up on last year's AFL grand final.
"To see audiences of this scale across the entire day is an outstanding result and speaks to the incredible power of the AFL and the appetite Australians have to experience our biggest sporting moments live and free," Southern Cross Media sports boss Chris Jones said in a statement.
The 1.42 million viewers on 7Plus were an audience record for the online streaming service.
The game featured a crowd of 100,023, one short of the MCG's AFL capacity and the highest for a grand final featuring two non-Victorian teams.
"The Brisbane and Fremantle final is one of the greatest our game has seen," AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said.
"To have the highest-watched grand final ever, the No.1 television program of the year and more than 1.4 million people watching on 7plus is an outstanding result for the game and a credit to our fans, clubs, players, broadcast partners and everyone involved in delivering an unforgettable week."
Kylie Minogue headlined the pre-game entertainment, while the league said more than 350,000 fans attended its Footy Fest outside the MCG and Friday's grand final parade.
This season featured a record total attendance at games, including finals, of more than 8.5 million.
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