The audience for the 13th season of Nine’s long running series The Block is up 20 per cent on 2016.
This year started with a stripped series of Married at First Sight which proved to be a hit with TV viewers and one of the most highly streamed programs since OzTAM introduced its video player measurement (VPM) system.
The breakout hit of 2017 on TV was Australian Ninja Warrior, which broke ratings records and holds the title of the No. 1 non-sports program of the year.
These shows will be making a return on Nine in 2018. The broadcaster has revealed its line-up for 2018.
New series
TALKIN’ ’BOUT YOUR GENERATION
The blockbuster comedy for every generation that will have all Australian’s laughing out loud, Talkin’ ’Bout Your Generation, led by host Shaun Micallef, is an hour-long riotous
battle between three generations – Gen X lead by Robyn Butler, Gen Y lead by Andy Lee and Gen Z lead by Laurence Boxhall. Each week our three regular captains team up with three celebrity guests to answer questions and play fun and irreverent games that span the generations. The show brings back to life everyone’s favourite memories and moments from the worlds of film and TV, music, news and current affairs, fads, advertising, sport and more. It’s a celebration of the generations and what defines them in a bid to find out which one really does rule (for a week at least).
Talkin’ ’Bout Your Generation is produced by ITV Studios for Nine.
UNDERBELLY FILES: CHOPPER
Destined to be one of the most compelling dramas in Australian television history, Underbelly Files: Chopper is coming to Nine in 2018. Created by Screentime, producers of the trailblazing Underbelly franchise, this two-part miniseries explores the untold, uncut story of notorious gangster Mark ‘Chopper’ Read as he struggles to reconcile his two competing identities – Chopper, the colourful underworld figure, and Mark Brandon Read, the man who craved a quiet life far from the public arena.
Starring award-winning actor Aaron Jeffery (Wentworth, McLeod’s Daughters, Water Rats) as Chopper, an outstanding cast will feature alongside him, including two-time Logie Award winner Michael Caton (The Castle, Packed to the Rafters) as Chopper’s father Keith, Todd Lasance (The Vampire Diaries) as Chopper’s nemesis, gangster Syd Collins, and Ella Scott Lynch (Love Child) who will portray his second wife, Margaret with whom he shared a love that defied obstacles and lasted decades.
The stellar cast will also include Zoe Ventoura as Chopper’s first wife, Mary Ann, Jane Allsop, Reef Ireland, Alex Tsitsopoulos and Anna Bamford, with original Underbelly alumni Vince Colosimo and Kevin Harrington returning as Alphonse Gangitano and Lewis Moran, and Debra Byrne reprising her portrayal of Judy Moran.
Underbelly Files: Chopper is produced by Screentime for Nine.
BITE CLUB
Nine’s new crime thriller, Bite Club, boasts a killer star cast: Todd Lasance (Spartacus: War of the Damned, The Vampire Diaries, Underbelly Files: Chopper), Ash Ricardo (Offspring, Party Tricks), Damian Walshe–Howling (Underbelly, Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms, Janet King), Deborah Mailman (Redfern Now, Offspring), Robert Mammone (Underbelly, Fat Tony & Co, Janet King), Pia Miller (Home and Away), Marny Kennedy (Janet King), Darcie Irwin-Simpson (Love Child) and Dominic Monaghan (Lost, The Lord of The Rings, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Wild Things).
After surviving a shark attack two detectives join forces to hunt the ultimate predator, the serial killer who is also hunting them.
Bite Club is currently in production in Sydney, produced by Playmaker for Nine with major production investment from Screen Australia, in association with Create NSW.
BUYING BLIND
In 2018, Nine unveils the most ground-breaking property show on Australian television. Couples searching for their dream home will hand over their life savings to three experts, trusting them to take over the biggest decision of their lives. Amazing transformations and edge-of-your-seat drama make Buying Blind the new high-stakes property thriller.
Buying Blind is produced by Endemol Shine for Nine.
DATE NIGHT
The brand-new future of dating has arrived. Date Night is a spontaneous, fun-filled dating show. Singles looking for love will use their family and friends to find their perfect match. Together, from their couches, they’ll play this online dating game, swiping through prospective suitors until they find The One. They’ll laugh, cringe and squirm until they meet the person of their dreams – or not. Anyone lucky enough to swipe a match gets to go on a date for real.
Date Night is produced by Screentime for Nine.
DRIVING TEST
Driving Test is a heartfelt factual show that goes behind the scenes of people learning how to drive. From their very first lesson to the test itself, we’ll witness the highs and lows and the hits and misses as the drivers and their larger-than-life instructors score them a Pass or Fail. Set in Darwin, the only place in Australia where the driving test must be recorded, we meet people from all walks of life as they’re unleashed on the streets. They set off on the ride of their lives hoping to secure the ticket of their dreams – a driver’s licence.
Driving Test is produced by Screentime for Nine.
EAT WELL FOR LESS
Spending too much at the checkout? Want to break bad shopping habits? Want to save money for the things that really matter?
Eat Well For Less is an inspiring new 2-part series, that offers entertaining and practical ways to east better and save money while you do it.
It will change the shopping, cooking and eating habits of a nation. Our hosts take families who are cash strapped and time poor, seize their shopping trolley, and then meal by meal, transform the way that family eats. They will secretly film the families when they do their supermarket shopping to expose their problems and attempt to mend their ways. From tips and tricks to grand public experiments, it’s a show full of fascinating insights into exactly what we put into our fridges, cupboards and our bellies. Eat Well For Less will show the average Australian family what to buy, how it’s made and where to buy it, so they can shop, cook and eat for less without scrimping on quality.
Eat Well For Less is produced by Screentime for Nine.
Returning Series
AUSTRALIAN NINJA WARRIOR
The Australian Ninja Warrior phenomenon that captivated the nation with record ratings in 2017 will return in 2018 – even bigger and better.
Hosts Ben Fordham and Rebecca Maddern will be joined again by Freddie Flintoff for the ultimate event television format of the year.
Ninjas will come from far and wide, with over 8000 hopefuls being narrowed down to 300 of the most physically and mentally tough contestants who will have the chance to tame the toughest obstacle course in the world.
Get ready for every tantalising jump, swing, hang and run on “Ninja Island” when Ninjas zero in on the famed Mount Midoriyama. Will Australia’s first ultimate Ninja Warrior be crowned in 2018?
Australian Ninja Warrior is produced by Endemol Shine Australia for Nine.
MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT
Married at First Sight, Australia’s most controversial and ground-breaking social experiment, returns for its fifth and most explosive series yet in 2018.
Our three expert matchmakers – relationship psychologist John Aiken, neuropsychotherapist Trisha Stratford and dating expert and psychologist Mel Schilling – face the mammoth task of again pairing 20 brave singles, using a mix of neuroscience and psychology to try to create 10 perfect matches.
You’re invited to 10 breathtaking weddings as Married at First Sight promises more drama than ever.
The experts put relationships to the ultimate pressure test to determine if science really can predict true love for the 10 couples who will be getting married at first sight in the new series produced by Endemol Shine Australia for Nine.
THE BLOCK
Australia’s longest running reality program will return in 2018 for its 14th series. Fifteen years since the record-breaking first installment in 2003, The Block has cemented itself as a television phenomenon that remains as popular as ever. This year The Block has averaged 1.8 million viewers per episode – up by 20 per cent on the corresponding period last year.
In 2018, Scott Cam will unleash a block challenge like no other – the infamous Gatwick Hotel in beachside St Kilda in Melbourne. With its grand sweeping staircase, high ceilings and historic architecture, it was purpose-built 80 years ago as a luxurious hotel. But for the past 50 years it has provided budget accommodation to the needy and vulnerable.
Next year’s contestants will be tasked with transforming the Gatwick to its former glory and potentially winning a life-changing sum of money. The Block has distributed an astronomical cash total of $17,575,501.01 across 13 series to date.
The Block is a Nine production in conjunction with Cavalier Television.
THE VOICE
The Voice Australia will be back for a sensational seventh series as popular superstar coaches Delta Goodrem, Kelly Rowland and Boy George return to the famous red chairs.
They will be joined by a fourth coach to be announced soon as they uncover the next wave of incredible talent across the nation.
This follows a highly successful sixth season which saw millions tuning in to hear the jaw- dropping tones of Judah Kelly as he took out the title of The Voice Australia, along with $100,000 in prize money and a recording contract with Universal Music.
Which artists will make the coaches turn their chairs? And can winning Coach Delta Goodrem defend her title?
The Voice Australia is produced by ITV Studios for Nine.
TRUE STORY WITH HAMISH & ANDY
True Story with Hamish & Andy brings to life the best Australian tales you’ve never heard, told by the very people who experienced them and then humorously and cinematically realised through dramatic recreations.
In each half-hour episode Hamish and Andy meet an everday Australian storyteller who recounts an amazing, surprising, funny and above all true story, which is simultaneously recreated by a cast of Australia’s most renowned performers.
The first series was a smash hit, acclaimed by critics and viewers alike. Each episode was watched by more than two million people (including encore screenings and streaming on 9Now), making True Story one of the most successful new program launches in recent years.
Warner Bros. International Television Production had acquired the rights to launch the format to global audiences at MIPCOM in Cannes next week.
Hamish and Andy will return with ten more hilarious and astonishing true stories in 2018.
THIS TIME NEXT YEAR
Nine’s inspirational hit This Time Next Year will be back for a second series. In each heartwarming episode people from across the country will pledge to change their lives by “this time next year”. As they walk off through the “this time” door, host Karl Stefanovic and the viewers soon know the outcome of their journey in moments as they walk back in through the “next year” door. The program’s unique time travel-style format then unfolds to reveal what happened during the year-long journey through their ambitious pledge, whether successful or not. Many of the stories will take unexpected twists and turns and some of the physical transformations will be truly incredible. Produced by Nine.
DOCTOR DOCTOR
Australia’s favourite bad boy medico, Dr Hugh Knight, is back for a third series of Nine’s hit drama series, Doctor Doctor.
With the second series currently on air, Dcotor Doctor has once again captured the hearts of Australia with more viewers tuning in every week. Doctor Doctor showcases some of Australia’s finest actors with the outstanding cast of Rodger Corser (Hugh), Nicole da Silva (Charlie), Steve Bisley (Jim), Ryan Johnson (Matt), Tina Bursill (Meryl), Hayley McElhinney (Penny), Matt Castley (Ajax), Chloe Bayliss (Hayley), Charles Wu (Ken), Belinda Bromilow (Betty) and Brittany Clark (Mia).
Doctor Doctor is produced by Ian Collie, Claudia Karvan and Tony McNamara for Nine with the assistance of Create NSW.
TRAVEL GUIDES
Nine’s hilarious and addictive Travel Guides will be taking off for an outrageous second series in 2018. The Fren family from Newcastle, holiday snobs Kevin and Janetta, and cowgirls Stack and Mel will return, plus you’ll meet some new faces to visit new places at home and abroad. Our travel guides will experience the same week-long holiday and review the same accommodation, cuisine and local sights. Their adventures and candid antics will entertain and surprise you as they deliver a no-holds-barred review and rate their stay out of five stars. Narrated by Aussie comedian Denise Scott and produced by Nine.
20 TO ONE
Hang on tight as Erin Molan and Dave Thornton return to take you on a white-knuckle ride through the weird and wild world of pop culture in the inimitable and outrageous style of 20 to One. A star-studded lineup of international and homegrown celebrities will join the countdown commentary, adding their hilarious and often shocking take on everyone and everything. Join Sharon Osbourne, Alan Carr, John Stamos, Sophie Monk, Scott Cam, Roxy Jacenko, Gina Liano, Lee Lin Chin, Christopher Pyne and Anthony Albanese. 20 to One is produced by Nine.
RBT
A new series of RBT will go behind the frontline in 2018 on Nine. From major roadside drink-driving operations to high-speed pursuits, RBT will capture the drama and danger that police in Australia face every day in their relentless campaign against drink and drug driving.
RBT is produced by Screentime for Nine.
MILLIONAIRE HOT SEAT
In 2018, Australia’s richest quiz show, Millionaire Hot Seat hosted by Eddie McGuire, will celebrate an historic tenth series. This year Hot Seat unveiled a series of dynamic new twists in a new one-hour format. The revamped supercharged version of the long-running program now starts with contestants going head-to-head in a rapid-fire battle of Fastest Finger First. And Lifelines were reintroduced, providing an added level of excitement for viewers.
Since premiering on April 20, 2009, Millionaire Hot Seat has changed countless lives and given away a staggering $43.2 million. It remains the only program on Australian television in which it is possible to win $1 million.
GETAWAY
Getaway, Australia’s longest running and most popular holiday and travel television program, will continue to take you around the globe in 2018, uncovering the most beautiful locations and tasting the most delicious food. And you won’t even need to leave your living room.
Must see events
ACADEMY AWARDS
Hollywood glitz and glamour comes to Channel Nine once again in 2018 as the 90th Academy Awards are broadcast live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles to honour the best films of 2017.
TV WEEK LOGIE AWARDS
In 2018, the TV Week Logie Awards will celebrate their diamond anniversary, 60 years of recognising excellence on Australian television. Channel Nine will broadcast the Logies LIVE for the first time from The Star on the Gold Coast. TV’s night of nights will present awards to honour individuals and programs for their outstanding achievement to Australian television.
ARIA AWARDS
The ARIA Awards make their triumphant return to the Nine Network on Tuesday, November 28, 2017, LIVE from The Star in Sydney.
Presented by Nine Network entertainment guru Richard Wilkins, the prestigious ARIA Awards is the flagship event on the Australian music calendar. Representing the pinnacle of music success, the year’s best and most popular acts are recognised in front of their peers and fans alike.
The likes of John Farnham, Crowded House and INXS were among the award winners at the original event in 1987, and since then the ARIAs have been a star-studded affair, attracting top acts from around the world.
This year, the 31st ARIA Awards will be no different as international superstars take the stage and another Australian music legend is deservedly inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.
The ARIA Awards are produced by ZigZag TV for the Nine Network.