The Seven Network has unveiled an ambitious content lineup and strategic business developments for 2026, positioning itself as Australia’s leading full-spectrum video business as it continues to deliver growth and results across broadcast and digital platforms.
Speaking at the network’s first Upfront ’26 presentation today, Seven West Media Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Jeff Howard, highlighted Seven’s momentum heading into the new year.
“This year we’ve focused on driving growth, especially across 7plus, and on delivering consistently for our audience and commercial partners,” he said.
“We’re doubling down on what works: content that helps brands meet audiences wherever they are, and of course, delivering results. Our focus in 2026 is on growth, partnership and performance. We’re bringing all three.”
Seven reaches more than 17 million Australians every month across its television and streaming platforms, with the 7plus streaming platform recording significant growth in 2024-25 including 1.4 million new registrations, daily active users up 31% and average viewing time up 13%.
The 2026 slate revealed today demonstrates Seven’s commitment to delivering premium content across news, sport and entertainment: the three pillars that continue to drive the network’s audience growth and results for its partners.
The best of Australian and international sport will be live and free on Seven and 7plus next year, including AFL, AFLW, a red-hot summer of Test cricket (including The Ashes), Big Bash League, Women’s Big Bash League, Women’s Internationals, Supercars, horse racing, LIV Golf, NFL (including Super Bowl LX) and two of the biggest sporting events in the world: the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games in July and August and Rugby League World Cup in October and November.
Australians will continue to be kept informed with the nation’s most-watched evening news, 7NEWS, plus the #1 breakfast and morning lineup in Sunrise and The Morning Show, 7NEWS Spotlight, 7NEWS.com.au, The West Australian and The Nightly.
Seven’s hit entertainment shows are back, including My Kitchen Rules, Australian Idol, The Voice, Farmer Wants A Wife, The 1% Club, The Front Bar, Better Homes and Gardens, The Chase Australia and Australia’s #1 drama – Home and Away – which returns for a huge 2026.
They will be joined by newcomers My Reno Rules, Caught In The Middle, SAS: Australia v England, a yet-to-be-named Mick Molloy comedy series, Once In A Lifetime, Tina Arena: Unravel Me, First Dates Australia and The Mental As Anything Story.
Seven Group Managing Director, Television, Angus Ross, said: “We reach millions of Australians every day, across every screen, every format, and every region. And we do it with content made for all of Australia, 52 weeks a year. Our model is working, built on the best Aussie sport, entertainment and news shows, as well as premium overseas content.
“This year has seen audience growth for a lot of our content – including AFL, cricket, Supercars, the Brownlow Medal, Home and Away, My Kitchen Rules, Australian Idol, The 1% Club, 7NEWS, The Front Bar, 7NEWS Spotlight, the TV WEEK Logie Awards, Sunrise and The Morning Show – and we are building an even stronger entertainment, sport and news lineup for 2026.
“Seven already has the best sport schedule in Australia and next year it will get even better with the addition of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games and Rugby League World Cup. Australians love sport and the growth in our audiences this year shows they love sport on Seven and 7plus,” he said.
Seven Group Managing Director, Digital, Gereurd Roberts, said: “7plus is experiencing unprecedented momentum, cementing its position as one of Australia’s leading streaming platforms. With more than a million people engaging with the platform every day, 7plus has evolved from a catch-up service into a must-have entertainment destination that rivals the SVOD platforms. The critical difference is that it’s completely free.
“Our 7plus content strategy is delivering exceptional results, and with only 9% user crossover between our live and on-demand audiences, we’re presenting advertisers with valuable unduplicated reach opportunities. And next year alone we will add another 6,000 hours of new, exclusive content from top global studios.
“Premium exclusive content like The Rookie has driven huge streaming numbers in a single season, while innovations in user experience – including the upcoming ‘Remind Me’ button, synced to mobile – are ensuring our platform continues to evolve to suit our users’ needs, further deepening engagement,” he said.
This year, Seven added Southern Cross Media’s regional TV licences, giving the network 100% national coverage and creating a one-stop shop for brands wanting to reach every corner of Australia.
SEVEN IN 2026
MORE ENTERTAINMENT
Next year, Seven is expanding its entertainment slate with fresh formats designed to engage audiences across generations.
Caught In The Middle is the ultimate quiz battle between one duo and one hundred opponents. The duo stands at the centre of a giant LED arena surrounded by a hundred opponents. Over the course of 15 questions, they must outsmart the crowd by picking answers that match as many rivals as possible; knocking them out one by one before the opponents reach the middle and claim the life-changing jackpot for themselves.
Hosted by Shane Jacobson, the compelling new series comes from Talpa Studios, the independent global content house founded by John de Mol, the legendary producer and creator of The Voice, The Floor and many other hits. It is being produced for Seven by Talpa Studios and Eureka.
Comedy returns to prime time on Seven with a new format featuring Mick Molloy and Glenn Robbins and funny friends as guests. It is produced by Molloy Boy Productions.
SAS: Australia v England pits seven Aussie celebrities against seven UK celebrities in one of the most unforgiving environments in the world: the Moroccan desert. The Directing Staff take the recruits through hostile and unforgiving warfare environments, while testing their mental and physical ability through a series of realistic training exercises, all designed to simulate real SAS training.
The Australian recruits are Olympic gold medallists Mack Horton and Emily Seebohm, cricketer Brad Hodge, stage and screen star Natalie Bassingthwaighte, actor Ryan Moloney, reality TV star Jessika Power and musician/actor Axle Whitehead. Can the Aussies triumph in the world’s toughest test and in the end, who can make the final SAS selection? SAS: Australia v England is produced by Minnow Films and distributed by Banijay Rights.
My Reno Rules is a brand-new renovation competition that’s raising the stakes and flipping the script, with epic twists set to transform the lives of everyday Aussies. Hosted by Dr Chris Brown, My Reno Rules will be must-watch television, with four hardworking teams of Aussie battlers going head-to-head, breathing new life into two neighbouring rundown houses in a picturesque Melbourne suburb. The live grand final will see some lucky Australians receive a life-changing call telling them they’ve won a spectacularly renovated, multi-million-dollar home: fully furnished, landscaped and equipped with state-of-the-art technology.
Joining Dr Chris are style icon Neale Whitaker, top buyer’s agent Simon Cohen and interiors expert Julia Green as the judging panel. My Reno Rules is a new format produced by Endemol Shine Australia (a Banijay Entertainment Company) and distributed internationally by Banijay Rights.
Dr Chris also stars in the all-new Once In A Lifetime, which sees him embark on global wildlife journeys, joined by entertaining Australian personalities (including Mick Molloy, Amanda Keller, Kate Ritchie and Matt Preston) as his untrained and unqualified veterinary assistants. Together, they help animals while navigating unpredictable and often humorous situations. Once In A Lifetime is a Happy Camel and ITV Studios Australia production.
Marking 50 years in the spotlight, Tina Arena: Unravel Me is an intimate and cinematic portrait of one of Australia’s most enduring and enigmatic artists. Told through two interwoven lenses – Tina the icon and Tina the woman – this landmark documentary from Helium Pictures peels back five decades of fame to reveal the dualities that have defined her life and the new revelations that have remained untold until now.
From Young Talent Time to global superstardom, heartbreak to hard-won independence, Tina Arena: Unravel Me traces Tina’s extraordinary evolution across continents and languages – from Australia’s sweetheart to a reinvention in France that crowned her a true global icon. Featuring candid new interviews, rare archives and appearances from friends, family, and collaborators, including Katy Perry, Celine Dion and Lionel Richie, it reveals the woman behind the legend: reflective, unfiltered and still wrestling with her own legacy.
Also new to Seven in 2026 are First Dates Australia, a fresh take on one of Australia’s most loved dating shows, and the special event The Mental As Anything Story.
The lineup of new overseas content across Seven next year also includes ITV’s Extreme Planet Earth, Operation Dark Phone and A Taste For Murder.
THE HITS ARE BACK
Seven’s proven entertainment formats continue to deliver growth, with My Kitchen Rules’ total TV audience up 13% so far this year and streaming audiences up more than 70%: an amazing result for a show now in its 15th season. The hit show will be back in 2026, with more talented home cooks, more instant restaurants and more incredible recipes.
After growing 15% this year, Australian Idol will return next year for its biggest season yet, as Marcia Hines, Kyle Sandilands and Amy Shark search for the country’s next singing sensation.
The Voice is also returning, along with superstar coaches Ronan Keating, Melanie C, Richard Marx and Kate Miller-Heidke.
The hit comedy quiz show The 1% Club increased its audience 11% this year and will be back in 2026, with host Jim Jefferies helping everyday Aussies beat the odds and prove they’re smarter than 99% of the population.
The new season of Farmer Wants A Wife is already generating a lot of buzz, with the announcement of this year’s farmers – Alex, Dylan, Jarrad, Jason and Zac – drawing the biggest social media response ever. Host Natalie Gruzlewski returns to help the farmers find romance and everlasting love.
As it heads into its 39th season, Home and Away continues to prove its status as Australia’s most popular drama, reaching 2.9 million viewers weekly, with 38% of viewing taking place on 7plus. Home and Away’s total TV audience is up 7% this year, including a 28% jump on 7plus. Next year will be big for the much-loved show, as fan favourites Brax (Stephen Peacocke) and Ricky (Bonnie Sveen) return in special episodes produced in partnership with Tourism Western Australia.
Seven’s 2026 slate of returning Aussie favourites also includes Australia’s most watched lifestyle program, Better Homes and Gardens, plus The Chase Australia, The Front Bar, Highway Patrol, Border Security: Australia’s Front Line, The Great Outdoors and Off The Grid With Colin and Manu.
New seasons of the hit US series Doc, St. Denis Medical and The Hunting Party will debut on 7plus, as its highly successful 7plus First strategy built on premium overseas content continues in 2026.
The hits will keep coming on Seven, with new seasons of overseas success stories Ludwig, The Rookie, The 1% Club UK, 9-1-1, Britain’s Got Talent and much more.
AUSTRALIA’S LEADING NEWS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS
Australia’s most watched news service, 7NEWS, continues to evolve its offering across multiple platforms, reaching audiences through 19 capital city and regional evening bulletins, 7NEWS.com.au, digital platforms with 28 million social media followers, and premium content, including 7NEWS Spotlight, which has seen its 7plus BVOD audience up 60% and its national total TV audience up 11% year-on-year.
The weekday 7NEWS 6.00pm bulletin reaches 9.6 million people a month and has increased its average national total TV audience 3% this year, including a 60% jump on 7plus.
Seven’s morning television is where Australia starts its day. Sunrise, The Morning Show and Weekend Sunrise shape the national conversation and are first with the news that matters: from breaking stories to headline-making interviews.
Sunrise, Weekend Sunrise and The Morning Show have been #1 every single week of the year. All three programs have recorded strong audience growth in 2025, with the winning margins over their nearest competitors also widening.
Sunrise’s national total TV audience has increased 6% so far this year, while Weekend Sunrise is up 5% and The Morning Show is up 7%. The number of people watching Sunrise on 7plus has surged 55% this year; Weekend Sunrise is up 62% on the platform and The Morning Show is up 56%.
Sunrise with Natalie Barr and Matt Shirvingon has reigned as Australia’s favourite breakfast program for 22 years, with an unbeatable lead across 2025. The Morning Show with Larry Emdur and Kylie Gillies has achieved the same impressive result, scoring its 18th year at #1 in the mornings, also winning every day.
Weekend Sunrise, co-hosted by Monique Wright and David Woiwod, has remained the first choice for viewers every Saturday and Sunday, continuing its winning streak as Australia’s #1 weekend breakfast show, a position it has held since 2006.
THE BEST SPORT, ALL YEAR
Every week, Seven’s stellar lineup of the best local and international sport reaches more than nine million Australians. Every week, Seven delivers the sport the nation loves, from Australia’s #1 winter and #1 summer sport – AFL and cricket – to horse racing, Supercars including the Bathurst 1000, NFL including the Super Bowl, LIV Golf, surfing, cycling, athletics, hockey, extreme sports and more.
New In 2026
Next year, sport will be even bigger and noisier on Seven and 7plus Sport, with the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games and the Rugby League World Cup.
The Commonwealth Games return to Seven in 2026, with coverage from Glasgow running from 23 July to 2 August. Australians will have the chance to witness some of the nation’s most exciting sporting superstars in action – including the sprint sensation on everybody’s radar, Gout Gout, Olympic pole vault champion Nina Kennedy, high jump world champion Nicola Olyslagers, and rising para-swimming star Declan Budd.
Live, free and exclusively on Seven and 7plus Sport, the Glasgow Games will feature a 10-sport program and approximately 3,000 world-class athletes competing from up to 74 Commonwealth nations and territories.
The 2026 Games will include athletics and para-athletics (track and field), swimming and para swimming, artistic gymnastics, track cycling and para track cycling, netball, weightlifting and para powerlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and para bowls, and 3×3 basketball and 3×3 wheelchair basketball.
More than 200 gold medals will be up for grabs across the 10 days of sporting competition, including the biggest track cycling and swim programs ever at a Games, with 26 medal events in the velodrome and 56 medal events in the pool.
In exciting news for all sport fans, Seven today announced it has secured the exclusive Australian rights to the Rugby League World Cup (RLWC2026), which will be live and free on Seven and 7plus Sport from 15 October 2026.
Kicking off with a blockbuster clash between Australia and New Zealand at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium, Seven’s month-long coverage will showcase the very best of international rugby league with 18 men’s, 15 women’s and 20 wheelchair matches.
Hosted by Australia, RLWC2026 will feature 26 teams from around the world, including England, Tonga and Samoa, with four matches to also be played in Papua New Guinea and two matches in New Zealand.
Seven will also extend its successful The Agenda Setters brand to rugby league, with a new panel show beginning from round one of the NRL season and continuing through to the end of the Rugby League World Cup.
And The Best Is Back
This year the AFL stood tall as Australia’s favourite winter sport, reaching 17.6 million people across the 2025 season.
The thrilling AFL Grand Final reached 6.4 million and had a national total TV audience of 4.18 million, making it the most watched Grand Final in two decades. The Brownlow Medal captured a national total TV audience of 1.45 million, up 14% on last year and the biggest Brownlow audience since 2015.
The Toyota 2026 AFL Premiership Season and Finals Series – including exclusive coverage of the 2026 AFL Grand Final – the AFL Women’s competition and football’s night of nights, the Brownlow Medal, all return to Seven and 7plus Sport in 2026 with what promises to be yet another incredible season.
AFL fans across the nation will be glued to their screens when the competition’s best Victorian stars take on their Western Australian rivals in AFL Origin, on Saturday, 14 February 2026, live and free on Seven and 7plus Sport. The state-based rivalry returns for the first time in more than 25 years, with the last elite-level men’s Origin match played between Victoria and South Australia in 1999 at the MCG.
After a strong debut in 2025, Seven’s new AFL magazine shows will also be back next year.
The Front Bar and 2025 newcomers The Agenda Setters, Sunday Footy Feast and Unfiltered on Seven and 7plus Sport are among the most popular sport entertainment shows in the country.
Hosted by Mick Molloy, Sam Pang and Andy Maher, The Front Bar is Australia’s #1 sport entertainment show and increased its audience 6% this year. Unfiltered with Hamish McLachlan was the biggest new AFL show of 2025. The Agenda Setters – Seven’s new Monday and Tuesday night AFL news and opinion program fronted by Kane Cornes, Nick Riewoldt, Caroline Wilson, Craig Hutchinson, Brad Hodge and Dale Thomas – has won a loyal and growing audience across Seven, 7mate and 7plus Sport.
Seven’s AFL shows, including the innovative new AFL Kids Call, are growing the number of younger people watching 7plus Sport. Almost two thirds of their viewers on the streaming platform are aged under 55, and half are in the key 25 to 54 age group.
The 2025-26 Summer of Cricket on Seven and 7plus Sport is shaping up to be one of the biggest and best yet. Headlined by the ultimate rivalry in world sport – The Ashes, starting in Perth on 21 November – fans can also look forward to another thrilling season of the Big Bash League (from 14 December) and Women’s Big Bash League (from 9 November), along with a multi-format women’s series against India.
With new signing, Stuart Broad, who is fast becoming one of world cricket’s best commentators and analysts, alongside cricket’s #1 commentary team led by the game’s most astute commentator, Ricky Ponting, plus Aaron Finch, Alison Mitchell, Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer and many more, viewers will be treated to world-class commentary all summer long on Seven and 7plus Sport.
Seven’s Summer of Cricket lineup will also feature a strong slate of magazine programs, headlined by Unfiltered, which will make its cricket debut this season with five special cricket-themed episodes. Viewers can also look forward to two The Front Bar cricket specials in November, while James Brayshaw, Ricky Ponting and Aaron Finch will come together for a special Ashes Preview Show in November.
Rounding out Seven’s cricket magazine offering, The Spin returns for its eighth season, continuing to deliver sharp insights, fun features and behind-the-scenes access from across the Summer of Cricket.
Earlier this month, Cricket Australia launched the FAST channel Cricket Gold on 7plus Sport, featuring some of the game’s greatest matches and most iconic players.
The world’s first 24/7 FAST channel dedicated to cricket, Cricket Gold draws on Cricket Australia’s vast video archives to provide extensive coverage of the memorable encounters between the global superstars who entertained generations of fans and helped shape the modern game.
The Women’s International summer sees Australia face India across all formats, with T20s from 15 to 21 February, ODIs from 24 February to 1 March, and a Test match from 6 to 9 March.
The action doesn’t stop there: in 2026, Australia will host Bangladesh for a two-Test series, with venues and dates to be confirmed.
Seven’s long-term agreement with Racing Victoria and Racing NSW, which includes key race days in conjunction with Racing Queensland and Racing SA, cements Seven as Australia’s home of racing, and means Australians enjoy 52 weeks of elite racing across the country, live and free on Seven and 7plus Sport.
Racing Victoria’s owned and operated Racing.com channel continues to play a key role in Seven’s comprehensive racing offering. Australia’s only 24/7 free-to-air racing channel, Racing.com showcases Victorian thoroughbred racing on Channel 78 (metropolitan) and Channel 68 (regional) nationwide and is available daily on 7plus Sport. The channel also features coverage of South Australian, Western Australian and Hong Kong racing, along with major international events including Royal Ascot.
The Spring and Autumn Racing calendars are the stars in the 7Racing portfolio, which covers the very best Australian thoroughbred racing live and free every Saturday of the year as part of the most significant free-to-air broadcast deal in the history of the sport.
The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions Raceday is one of Australia’s most prestigious and lucrative race days, now boasting $14.5 million in prizemoney across 10 races. The pinnacle of the Queensland Summer Racing Carnival, this iconic event is headlined by two feature races, the $3 million The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO Classic and the $3 million Gold Coast Magic Millions 3YO Guineas and is the jewel in the crown of summer thoroughbred racing. Once again in 2026, Seven will broadcast Magic Millions Gold live and free in primetime on Seven and 7plus Sport.
SOME VERY SPECIAL EVENTS
After raising a record $90.16 million last weekend for sick, vulnerable and disadvantaged children in Western Australia, the Perth Channel 7 Telethon will be back in 2026, along with a host of other special events.
The TV WEEK Logie Awards will run exclusively on Seven and 7plus again next year, celebrating the best of Australian TV. This year’s Logies, which saw Home and Away’s Lynne McGranger take home the Gold Logie and Magda Szubanski inducted into the Logies Hall of Fame, reached 3.65 million people and had an average national total TV audience of 1.51 million, up 6% on 2024 and the highest number since 2012. The audience on 7plus was the biggest streaming audience for a Logies ever and was up 21% year-on year.
The 2025 TV WEEK Logie Awards Red Carpet was the highest rated since 2016, with a national average total TV audience of 1.35 million, up 14% on 2024, and a national reach of 2.26 million.
Next year will also bring the Good Friday Appeal in partnership with the Herald Sun, which raises much-needed funds for the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.
Carols In The Domain will be live, free and exclusive on Seven and 7plus in December this year with a galaxy of stars helping Australia celebrate the festive season. It will be back in 2026.
The red-carpet glamour and star power of the 98th Annual Academy Awards will be on Seven in March next year, with the pomp and ceremony of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo also set for 2026.
MULTI-CHANNELS, MULTIPLE HITS
Seven is the home of Australia’s most popular multi-channels and next year will bring a wealth of new content on 7mate, 7two, 7flix and 7Bravo.
In 2026, the 7mate slate will include Outback Truckers (season 12), Rookie Truckers, Outback Wreckers, Aussie Gold Hunters, Salvage Rescue Down Under and Cape Carnage. International shows include Caught On Dash Cam, Pawn Stars, Pawn Stars Do America, American Pickers and Storage Wars.
The list of drama series on 7two in 2026 features Father Brown, Vera, Grace, McDonald & Dodds, Call The Midwife and Murdoch Mysteries, while lifestyle shows include Bargain Hunt, Yorkshire Vet and Escape To The Country.
7flix is the home of movies, the biggest US drama franchises – including Law & Order, CSI and NCIS – and the US and UK versions of Ramsay Kitchen Nightmares.
The best reality TV in the world is found on 7Bravo. New shows for 2026 include Wife Swap: The Real Housewives Edition, The Real Housewives of London, The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, Ladies of London: The New Reign, Next Gen NYC, Botched Presents: Plastic Surgery Rewind, The Death Investigator With Barbara Butcher and Killer Grannies.
The slate of returning series on 7Bravo includes Below Deck: Down Under, Below Deck, Below Deck Mediterranean, The Real Housewives of Miami, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, The Real Housewives of Orange County, The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, The Valley, The McBee Dynasty, Vanderpump Rules, Summer House, Made in Chelsea and Snapped.
SEVEN IN 2026
Key content on Seven and 7plus next year includes:
AUSTRALIAN:
7NEWS
7NEWS Spotlight
Aussie Gold Hunters
Australian Football League
AFL Women’s
Australian Idol
Better Homes and Gardens
Border Security: Australia’s Front Line
Carols In The Domain
Caught In The Middle
Channel 7 Telethon
Cricket (The Ashes, Big Bash League, Women’s Big Bash League, Women’s International)
Extra Time
Farmer Wants A Wife
First Dates Australia
Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games
Good Friday Appeal
Highway Patrol
Horse racing (various)
Home and Away
Mick Molloy show (yet to be named)
My Kitchen Rules
My Reno Rules
NFL Tailgate
Off The Grid With Colin and Manu
Once In A Lifetime
Outback Truckers
Rookie Truckers
Rugby League World Cup
SAS: Australia v England
South Aussie with Cosi
Sunday Footy Feast
Sunrise
Supercars Championship, including the Bathurst 1000
The 1% Club
The Agenda Setters (AFL)
The Agenda Setters (NRL)
The Chase Australia
The Front Bar
The Great Outdoors
The Mental As Anything Story
The Morning Show
The Spin
The TV WEEK Logie Awards
The Voice
Tina Arena: Unravel Me
Unfiltered
Weekend Sunrise
OVERSEAS:
9-1-1
A Taste For Murder
Britain’s Got Talent
Doc
Extreme Planet Earth
Ludwig
Operation Dark Phone
Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
St. Denis Medical
The 1% Club UK
The 98th Academy Awards
The Hunting Party
The Rookie
