MAFS and Australian Idol will go head to head in the ratings next year 

Seven’s reboot of Australian Idol will go head to head with Nine’s Married At First Sight in the ratings next year

Two of the biggest reality TV franchises will go toe to toe in the ratings next year.

Channel Seven’s reboot of singing competition Australian Idol will air in the same time slot as season 10 of Married At First Sight on Nine, reports The Herald Sun.

It’s certainly a bold move from Seven, as MAFS routinely wipes the floor with its competition during the first quarter of the ratings year.

Channel Seven’s reboot of Australian Idol will air in the same time slot as Married At First Sight on Nine next year. (Pictured: season one winner Guy Sebastian performing in Sydney in 2003)

Going head to head with Nine’s controversial social experiment shows Seven clearly has confidence in the series, which last aired in 2009.

The network has yet to lock in a premiere date, but a casting application said contestants must be available for at least 40 days from September 2022 to March 2023.

Seven has failed to entice audiences away from MAFS over the years, with shows like SAS Australia and My Kitchen Rules underperforming against the ratings juggernaut.

It's a bold move from Seven, as MAFS routinely wipes the floor with its competition during the first quarter of the ratings year. (Pictured: 2022 MAFS couple Jackson Lonie and Olivia Frazer)

It’s a bold move from Seven, as MAFS routinely wipes the floor with its competition during the first quarter of the ratings year. (Pictured: 2022 MAFS couple Jackson Lonie and Olivia Frazer)

After a slow start, MAFS has grown into an unstoppable force for the last six seasons, regularly drawing more than a million metro viewers per night. 

It comes after Daily Mail Australia revealed in April that MAFS’ long-serving executive producer Tara McWilliams was stepping down from her role.

Ms McWilliams is credited with transforming the show from a slow-paced format focused on the ‘experiment’ of pairing up strangers into a more drama-filled product.

According to the insider, while she will still be involved in the production, she is taking a step back from day-to-day production duties. 

Her new executive position at production company Endemol Shine will see Ms McWilliams oversee a portfolio of unscripted shows as Director of Content.

Seven has failed to entice audiences away from MAFS over the years, with shows like SAS Australia and My Kitchen Rules underperforming against the ratings juggernaut. (Pictured from left to right: former Idol judges Ian 'Dicko' Dickson, Marcia Hines and Mark Holden)

Seven has failed to entice audiences away from MAFS over the years, with shows like SAS Australia and My Kitchen Rules underperforming against the ratings juggernaut. (Pictured from left to right: former Idol judges Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson, Marcia Hines and Mark Holden)

Meanwhile, Australian Idol is a part of the most-watched TV franchise in history with its first season attracting more viewers than major events like the AFL Grand Final. 

It originally aired on Channel 10 from 2003 to 2009 and has a track record for making bona fide stars, the most notable being its inaugural winner Guy Sebastian. 

Seven announced plans for an Idol reboot back in 2020. At the time, the network slated the show for 2022, but it is now going ahead in 2023 instead. 

Angus Ross, Seven’s Director of Programming, said: ‘Idol is the granddaddy of them all! The biggest show in the world comes to Seven in 2022, and we know Australians are going to love it. 

It comes after Daily Mail Australia revealed in April that Married At First Sight's long-serving executive producer Tara McWilliams (pictured) was stepping down from her role

It comes after Daily Mail Australia revealed in April that Married At First Sight’s long-serving executive producer Tara McWilliams (pictured) was stepping down from her role 

‘We can’t wait to bring Idol back to Australian audiences in 2022, putting our prime time content line-up even further ahead of the competition.

‘We’re home to the biggest franchises in television at Seven, and Idol is the biggest of them all. Bring on 2022!’

Australian Idol applications are open now, with hopefuls ‘from anywhere in Australia’ aged between 15 and 28 invited to showcase their talents.  

Married At First Sight applicants must be over the age of 25, and be Australian citizens or have held permanent residency for at least two years.

Australian Idol is a part of the most-watched TV franchise in history with its first season attracting more viewers than major events such as the AFL Grand Final. (Pictured: Rob Mills performing on Australian Idol in 2003)

Australian Idol is a part of the most-watched TV franchise in history with its first season attracting more viewers than major events such as the AFL Grand Final. (Pictured: Rob Mills performing on Australian Idol in 2003)

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