The 20th anniversary of renovation show, The Block, coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games and reality TV at its best with Married at First Sight were front and centre at the Nine Network’s Upfront showcase for next year.
Streaming live from the Hordern Pavilion on Wednesday afternoon starting with a 15-minute Welcome to Country, CEO Mike Sneesby kicked off the lengthy presentation with Nine as Australia’s “new home” of the next five Olympic and Paralympic Games up until Brisbane in 2032.
But what will be brand new in 2024?
Former A Current Affair host Tracy Grimshaw will return to our TV sets with a yet-unnamed show, while resident Today medical expert and former COVID-era federal health department spokesperson Nick Coatsworth also gets a new show.
Nine says Grimshaw’s “is a new project with details to come” while Dr Coatsworth will host a new series, Do You Want To Live Forever? and guide six Australians “on a powerful journey to stop the clock and turn back time”.
There will also be eight original scripted dramas and reality TV series.
Nine confirmed it is bringing back The Block, saying the show hits an incredible milestone in 2024.
“There are big plans for this special season with high anticipation for next year’s location,” it states.
Host Scott Cam will be back for his 18th season with another five teams to manage, but the prize money will stay at $100,000 for the overall winner on auction day on top of any profits made.
He didn’t announce the location, except to say the series was going to be “big” – multiple media outlets had earlier reported the show was heading back to regional Victoria, this time to Daylesford.
Since its premiere, the reality TV ratings juggernaut has awarded a total of $32,592,807.65 in prize money.
The Block is back
The Block first launched in July 2003 with a rundown apartment building in Bondi and, after a six-year hiatus after season two, returned in 2010 with more apartments to fix up in the exclusive Sydney suburb of Vaucluse.
Despite a mid-series slump in ratings of The Block mid-year thanks to the FIFA Women’s World Cup coverage, the show has bounced back in recent weeks, proving it still has a big enough nationwide audience for its 20th anniversary season next year.
A fan-run Instagram account, the blockinatorblog, revealed on July 26 that Daylesford was the next location for contestants, and it should attract a wider market at auction time compared to the trainwreck disaster of 2022 at Gisborne South in the Macedon Ranges.
Nine reportedly bought five “pavilion-style” homes in the Victorian town located about 112 kilometres north-west of Melbourne.
“Rumour has it the producers have some tricks up their sleeve to commemorate the 20th season,” it wrote.
UK author, comedian and actor Stephen Fry is excited about hosting the Australian version of Jeopardy. Photo: Nine
New shows
Along with Grimshaw and Coatsworth getting a new gig, Nine announced another eight new shows premiering next year.
Its streaming platform Stan also promises exclusive content including feature films, documentaries and original scripted drama.
Other new shows include:
Tipping Point Australia: Hosted by tennis champion Todd Woodbridge, three players will answer general knowledge questions, hoping to win counters which can be used on a large coin pusher, arcade-style machine. Contestants from all over Australia will have the chance to win mystery prizes along with cash prizes
Human Error: Inspired by actual events, the drama series follows Holly O’Rourke and her homicide team as a seemingly open-and-shut murder investigation threatens to destroy her career, her family, and her faith in justice. The Age’s crime reporter and podcaster John Silvester (Underbelly) is story consultant
Blood on the Tracks – The Platform Killer is a new crime thriller.
Beyond The Dream: On the path to the Paris Olympics 2024, the docu-series tracks the untold stories that led to some of the greatest Olympic and Paralympic moments
Jeopardy! Australia: Hosted by renowned English broadcaster and actor Stephen Fry, it will feature Aussie competitors. “I reckon Australia will welcome this uniquely beguiling and endlessly rewarding game, and I can’t wait to get started,” Fry says
The Garden Hustle: A new gardening makeover program, hosted by actor Lisa McCune and garden landscaper, The Block’s Dave Franklin, this series follows everyday home owners and renters on their journey to create their own garden oasis
Listing Melbourne: Six elite real estate agents navigate Melbourne’s property market, showcasing opulent homes while juggling their complicated personal lives
Budget Battlers: Two of The Block‘s contestants will renovate “unsung heroes” homes while showing how to renovate an entire house on a budget.
Married at First Sight. Photo: Nine
Returning shows
Nine is bringing back another big ratings winner, the social experiment otherwise known as Married at First Sight, for its 11th season.
Clinical sexologist Alessandra Rampolla and relationship experts John Aiken and Mel Schilling will get another go at trying to pair singles who don’t know each other to take a huge leap and marry a stranger.
There’s also Hamish Blake returning to host Lego Masters, a second season of The Summit (again filmed on location in New Zealand with $1 million prize money), Travel Guides, The Hundred with Andy Lee and RPA.
A big winner this year was Big Miracles, where couples took us on the highs and lows of their fertility journeys through IVF and other treatments. Some had success. Others were heartbroken.
Emergency, Paramedics, Space Invaders, Parental Guidance and everyone’s favourite for parents to get their P-platers to watch, RBT, get another run as does David Attenborough narrating the third series of Planet Earth.
Getaway and For the love of Pets (about Queensland’s RSPCA) also return.
Nine has the Olympics covered. Photo: Nine
Olympics and sports coverage
The International Olympic Committee announced in February that Nine had been awarded exclusive broadcast rights to the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games through to 2032 in Brisbane after decades on the Seven network.
Leading the coverage will be ACA‘s Ally Langdon, James Bracey, Dylan Alcott, Today hosts Sarah Abo, Karl Stefanovic, Brooke Boney and Alex Cullen, Woodbridge, Leila McKinnon and Eddie McGuire for the opening ceremony on July 26 (Paralympics start on August 28).
Roz Kelly and Tony Jones will cover the breaking news during coverage and the 6pm bulletins around the nation along with a further 18 expert commentators covering 32 sports and 329 events.
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