The 2026 season of “Married at First Sight” has closed as the most-watched instalment of the social experiment in VOZ history, underlining its continued dominance across both broadcast and streaming.
Across an 11-week run, the 13th season reached 16 million Australians nationally on Total TV, marking a 5.9% increase year-on-year. The series averaged 2.76 million viewers per episode nationally and continues to climb, up 5.0% compared to 2025.
The show also posted gains across key demographics, including People 25–54 (+6.8%), People 16–39 (+6.7%) and GS18+ (+7.0%), reinforcing its broad audience appeal.
The season’s biggest moment came during its now-trademark Dinner Parties and Commitment Ceremonies. The Sunday, March 1st episode delivered the highest Total TV audience in VOZ history for the franchise, drawing an overnight audience of 2.118 million viewers.
Nine said the program remained Australia’s No.1 entertainment show across both Total TV and BVOD, leading in metro markets including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, as well as regional areas.
A major driver of growth came from streaming platform 9Now, where viewing surged 34.5% year-on-year across Total People. Growth was also recorded across People 25–54 (+26.2%), People 16–39 (+18.3%) and GS18+ (+35.8%).
Episodes on February 18th and 25th each drew 743,000 viewers on 9Now overnight, which was the highest BVOD figures ever recorded for the series. Overall, BVOD reach climbed to an average of 7.6 million viewers, up 45.4% on last year, with more than 4.8 billion minutes streamed on the platform.
The franchise’s expansion across platforms extended to Stan, where spin-off “MAFS: After The Dinner Party” launched as an exclusive original. Hosted by Jules Lund, Brittany Hockley and Laura Byrne, the series became the platform’s No.1 show following its debut, with its premiere episode delivering Stan’s highest-ever single-episode subscription spike within 24 hours.
The spin-off will conclude with a final episode, “MAFS: After The Experiment,” premiering April 20th at 2pm AEST.
Hamish Turner, Executive Director of Nine and 9Now, said the latest season demonstrated the franchise’s evolution into a cross-platform powerhouse.
“The 2026 season of ‘Married at First Sight’ has once again proven that it is more than just a television show; it is a cross-platform phenomenon,” Turner said.
“From record-breaking streaming numbers on 9Now to the cultural conversations dominating social media and the Australian media landscape, ‘MAFS’ captures the evolving heartbeat of our nation.”
Turner also acknowledged the loss of longtime expert Mel Schilling, describing her as “a force of nature and a cornerstone of this experiment for over a decade.”
“While we mourn her passing, we celebrate the incredible legacy she leaves behind,” he said.