​The NRL grand final had many things the AFL grand final didn't: Jimmy Barnes, nationwide appeal, and in the end, way more viewers.

Both 2015 seasons culminated in glitzy grand finals over the weekend and despite the AFL's big name international acts, it was rugby league that smashed it out of the park.

At its peak, a whopping 4.4 million people tuned in to the NRL grand final between the Brisbane Broncos and North Queensland Cowboys on Sunday night - a new record for the league.

The figure is almost half a million higher than Saturday afternoon's clash between the West Coast Eagles and Hawthorn which peaked at 3.9 million.

The average ratings for the two games were a lot closer however, as the AFL match-up averaged 3.5 million viewers compared to the NRL's 3.6 million.

The Cowboys beat the Broncos in a nail-biting 17-16 finish at Sydney's Olympic Stadium, with many commentators hailing it as the best NRL grand final of all time.

Saturday's AFL game was a lot less thrilling as an unstoppable Hawthorn thrashed West Coast 107-61 in a repeat of last year's lacklustre grand final.

The NRL entertainment also finished on top of the AFL's big name international acts.

While the AFL continued its bemoaned tradition of importing musicians - hiring Chris Isaak, British singer Ellie Goulding and Bryan Adams - it was the NRL's local performances which won plaudits.

As Goulding had to defend herself against claims of lip syncing following an erroneously-timed backing track, over at Olympic Park, Jimmy Barnes, Cold Chisel and Jessica Mauboy exceeded expectations.

The 2015 AFL grand final ratings were down from last year, where a peak of 4.2 million people tuned in to watch Hawthorn thump Sydney.