Nine’s reality juggernaut, Married at First Sight, returns tonight for Season 13. Unlucky for some, perhaps, but Nine hopes the only thing breaking this year are streaming records.
While the contestants feign shock at the first dinner party, the industry knows exactly what to expect.
This is no longer just a ‘social experiment.’ It‘s the tip of the spear for Nine’s $4 billion revenue growth pitch.
The engine room of total TV
Call it a guilty pleasure or a national obsession, but the data is serious business. MAFS has morphed from a linear TV hit into a cross-platform data vacuum. Nine’s latest figures confirm that nearly 40% of the audience now streams the chaos via 9Now.
The network hardly cares if you watch on the big screen or conceal your viewing on a mobile commute. As long as you log in, you count.
For brands, that logged-in user is the real prize.
The 2026 launch lands as media buyers clutch their Q1 budgets like a nervous bride. The market is tight. Advertisers crave certainty. MAFS delivers exactly that (or we’ll soon see). It acts as a massive funnel, pouring millions of viewers into the 9Now ecosystem where Nine can retarget them for the rest of the year.
The show effectively subsidizes the network’s slate. It keeps the lights on and the data flowing.
MAFS 2026 trade strategy is resting on the shoulders of matrimony
Chasing a billion dollar brand opportunity
Nine isn’t being subtle about the stakes. At the recent Upfronts, executives told the room that advertisers are leaving $4 billion on the table by ignoring the power of Total TV.
The ‘Growth Project’ research, backed by Mutinex and Kantar, argues that one week of MAFS drama generates eight weeks of sales. It’s the ‘longevity effect‘ in action. You buy the wine-throwing, you get the sales long after the final vow.
Returning partners like KFC, HBF, and Snaffle know the drill. They are back to leverage the high engagement.
Nine’s research suggests brands associated with the format are 57% more likely to be seen as premium. It seems nothing says ‘premium brand values’ quite like a turbulent TV marriage.
Expanding the MAFS digital ecosystem
To keep the format from feeling its age, producers have introduced ‘Revelations Week.’ It sounds ominous, which is exactly the point.
Nine is also making sure there is no escape from the content ecosystem. The network brings back the Stan-exclusive companion series, MAFS: After The Dinner Party.
This strategy captures the viewer at 7:30 pm and holds them hostage until the late-night scroll. Experts John Aiken, Mel Schilling, and Alessandra Rampolla return to referee the madness.
Main Image: Experts, John Aiken, Mel Schilling, and Alessandra Rampolla