Nine Entertainment has reported audience growth across the 9Network, 9Now and Stan in the first quarter of 2026, with the group securing the No.1 metro position year-to-date across all key demographics and Total People.
The company said the result reflects a combined strategy across broadcast, BVOD and streaming, supported by major events including the Australian Open, Winter Olympics, Married at First Sight and the NRL season.
Platform performance
The 9Network recorded a 55% share of prime-time commercial minutes in the P16–39 demographic, while 9Now matched that share in the BVOD market.
Nine said audiences are moving between platforms, with broadcast reach contributing to growth on 9Now and subscriber acquisition on Stan.
Entertainment and sport
Married At First Sight reached more than 16 million viewers nationally and generated 9.3 billion Total TV minutes viewed.
The Stan original MAFS: After the Dinner Party delivered the platform’s highest single-episode subscription result within 24 hours.
The Australian Open reached more than 14 million Australians, with the Men’s Final recording a National Total TV audience of 3.448 million.
Coverage of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics has reached 14.4 million Australians.
News and current affairs
9News at 6pm increased its audience by 6.6% year-on-year, with BVOD viewership up 79.4%.
A Current Affair reached a National Total TV audience of 1.014 million, while 60 Minutes recorded 853,000.
Amanda Laing
Executive comment
Nine Managing Director Streaming and Broadcast, Amanda Laing, said the results reflect a shift in how the company operates across its platforms, with audience growth driven by a more integrated approach.
“From the Australian Open to MAFS we are seeing collective audience growth across 9Network, 9Now and Stan,” she said, pointing to the role of major events in driving scale across the group.
Laing said Nine has moved away from siloed operations, instead connecting production, data and distribution to improve the return on its content investment. She added that the strategy is focused not just on delivering large audiences, but on building a more efficient and sustainable model that delivers value for both consumers and commercial partners.
“By designing our consumer experiences to be complementary rather than competitive, we are building a more sustainable business,” she said.
She said broadcast reach is now converting into stronger engagement across digital platforms, with the company using its scale to support growth across 9Now and Stan.
“The scale of broadcast TV is successfully converting into high-value engagement across our digital platforms. This is the Streaming and Broadcast strategy in action,” Laing said, adding that performance in the first quarter reflects a broader structural shift in how Nine manages its assets and content slate.