Category: General

Consumer Pulse May 2026

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WHAT'S HOT AND WHAT'S NOT

May 2026

While the national mood remains predominately negative, it has seen a slight increase since last month. Frustrated, Anxious, Stressed, Pessimistic and Sceptical are the top feelings this month, followed by Calm and Annoyed. In line with this, 1 in 3 are feeling a mix of optimistic and cautious due global unrest and rising costs. Nine's audience has seen an increase in active users of AI quarter on quarter to 1 in 2, with most active engagement focused on personal tasks.

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1 May - 4 May, 2026

Inside this month’s Consumer Pulse dip

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Mood of the Nation >

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CONVERSATION STARTERS >

Mood of the Nation

The national mood

The national mood still remains predominately negative but has improved slightly since last month, suggesting that Australians have, to a degree, adjusted to the current global instability. The drop in net negative mood has positioned it to similar levels to COVID times, particularly August 2021. Australians are feeling frustrated, anxious and stressed, with these emotions seeing an increase year on year, reinforcing the dramatic shift in the world in comparison to May 2025.

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Dominant mood indicators

The top moods continue to be dominated by negative emotions, with frustrated, and anxious remaining the top 2 emotions. Stressed, pessimistic and sceptical follow to complete the top five ranking, keeping the dominant mood negative. The remaining top 10 emotions are a blend of positive and negative sentiments, with calm, annoyed, relaxed, unsure and overwhelmed, occupying positions six through to 10.

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NATIONAL MOOD BREAKDOWN

of the under 45 age group feel calm

Although the top three emotions are universally negative across all age groups, there is some variation in dominant emotion by age. Those under 45 are primarily anxious, while older audiences lean towards frustration. Additionally, calmness is reported less frequently among younger audiences, with only 13% feeling calm compared to 23% among older Australians. In line with last month, females report higher levels of anxiety (30%), while males feel pessimistic (26%), sceptical (26%) and annoyed (24%) more strongly. 

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BRAND CONSIDERATION

Brands must navigate a predominantly negative national sentiment through messaging that builds trust and provides a sense of stability.

Conversation Starters

OUTLOOK ON THE YEAR AHEAD

of Nine's audience are feeling cautious

1 in 2 Australians are cautious about the year ahead but the sentiment is dropping

While around 1 in 2 are still feeling cautious about the year ahead, there has been a slight drop since last month, reinforcing that people are adapting to the current climate. Younger audiences and females are showing a distinct shift in mindset, resulting in a 14 percentage point decrease in caution for those under 45 and a 9 percentage point decrease for females. Audiences attribute their cautious sentiment primarily due to global conflict and leadership, as well as economic pressures. Those with a mixed perspective feel secure in their immediate surroundings and everyday life, even as they acknowledge the instability of the global world. 

Businessman/Politician figurines examine a concrete globe (Europe, Africa)

BRAND CONSIDERATION

As audiences gradually adapt to global and economic instability, brands should pivot from addressing acute caution to reinforcing the local sanctuary by highlighting immediate security and everyday stability.

Concerns

of Nine's audience are concerned with national security

Global conflicts and rising prices continue to dominate concerns 

The primary concerns for Australians remain consistent month on month with global conflicts and their impact on fuel prices as well as national security (75%) the top concern. This is followed by rising prices for essentials (71%) and increasing political polarisation (63%). While older audiences show a greater concern for the risk of recession, they are less likely than younger audiences to be concerned by high rent, ability to afford non-essentials (e.g., holidays, dining out) and loss of employment, suggesting greater financial stability and minimal changes in their spending habits. Additionally, males are less likely than females to show concern over global conflicts and the cost of essentials.

BRAND CONSIDERATION

Brands should emphasis value for budget-conscious younger consumers while maintaining premium offerings for more financially resilient older demographics.

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AI USAGE

of Nine's audience are active AI users

AI Usage Frequencies 

Among Nine’s audience, 53% are active users (report daily to monthly usage) of AI applications such as Chat GPT, Gemini, Co-Pilot or Open AI, with the majority using weekly. Active AI usage has increased by 12 percentage points since last quarter, signaling the growing acceptance and integration of AI within everyday life. 

Active usage of AI is strongest among younger audiences (66%) and males (58%), with 1 in 2 of these groups using AI at least weekly, solidifying their position as innovators in AI adoption. The laggards of AI usage continue to be older audiences, with 31% aware but non-users.

An Asian teenage student interacts with an AI chatbot on a smartphone while studying at a desk with a laptop, notes and stationery. The scene highlights modern learning and technology integration.

BRAND CONSIDERATION

As AI adoption rapidly transitions from novelty to an integrated daily habit, brands should shift focus from mere awareness to practical, value-driven implementation that rewards active users while lowering the barrier to entry for non-users.

April 2026 Data
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The News Effect | Beyond Brand Safety: Why the ‘Context Dividend’ is a Marketer’s Secret Weapon

EPISODE THREE//

The Context Dividend

Beyond Brand Safety: Why the ‘Context Dividend’ is a Marketer’s Secret Weapon

If your brand has been avoiding the headlines out of caution, you’re missing a superpower. Cosima Marriner, Editor of The Australian Financial Review, explains why 85% of Australians have more confidence in brands that show up in news environments, and how the investment mindset translates to massive opportunity for advertisers.

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Pictured: Cosima Marriner (left) and Ashleigh Thomas (right)

In a landscape dominated by blunt keyword blocking and hyper-cautious brand safety metrics, many advertisers are inadvertently locking themselves out of the most influential rooms in the country. This is a missed ‘context dividend’.

In the third episode of The News Effect series, Ashleigh Thomas sits down with Cosima Marriner to discuss how the AFR’s 70-year legacy of authority creates a unique environment where readers are consuming news and preparing to take action.

The power of accuracy without an agenda

Trust in the Financial Review is built on a foundation of rigorous sourcing and a commitment to reporting without a premeditated bias.

“The only thing we care about is if it’s going to bolster prosperity for the country,” Marriner says. “When you read us, you know you are getting news straight down the barrel.”

For a brand, this neutrality is a goldmine. Appearing alongside trusted reporting transfers that sense of stability and reliability to the advertiser, providing a level of credibility that social media feeds - often marred by partisan bias - cannot offer.

Tapping into the high performance mindset

The AFR audience is using news as a tool for success. 

“Whether it's getting ahead in their career, building their finances, looking after their wellness, or making the most of their leisure time - they want to be the best at that,” Marriner explains. “You come for the core business news that makes you smarter in the boardroom, but you stay for the stuff that grows your investments or finds the coolest place to holiday.”

For advertisers, this means reaching an audience that is already in a lean-forward state. They are looking for ways to improve their lives and businesses, making them uniquely receptive to premium brand messages.

The case against blunt keyword blocking

One of the biggest hurdles for modern marketers is the use of automated brand safety tools that block ads from appearing near hard news keywords. Marriner argues that this is a fundamental misunderstanding of how the world works in 2026.

Using the conflict in the Middle East as an example, she notes that global events have direct ripple effects on fuel prices, supermarket costs, and business logistics. “If you want to know how that’s going to affect you, you’ve got to be tuned into the news,” she says.

By avoiding these topics, advertisers miss out on a defined, affluent audience of decision-makers exactly when they are most engaged. “Our readers are decision-makers in politics, business, and finance. What they do tends to trickle down,” Marriner adds. “If you want to get to them, you have to be around the news.”

The bottom line for brands

The 'Context Dividend' is simple: when you advertise in an environment of authority, your brand gains authority. With 85% of Australians reporting higher confidence in brands found within news environments, the real risk isn't being near the news, it's being absent from it.

Watch the full interview with Cosima Marriner to discover how the investment mindset can drive growth for your brand.

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How Nine and Magnite Push Programmatic Boundaries

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Nine and Magnite Unpack Programmatic Transparency, Live Streaming, and the Power of Direct Publisher Partnerships

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Duane Hatherly

Head of Editorial, Mediaweek

12th May, 2026

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Pictured: Maddy Mewing (left) and Julia Edwards (right)

Securing millions of eyeballs during prime time looks great on a network press release. However, monetising those streaming audiences at the speed of live television presents a completely different challenge.

Behind the screen, Connected TV (CTV) and programmatic advertising serve as the vital plumbing that turns those viewers into revenue. This unseen engine dictates exactly which ad plays to which household in a matter of milliseconds.

To unpack exactly how this technical wizardry works, we sat down with Julia Edwards, Director of Programmatic Sales at Nine, and Maddy Mewing, Director of Platforms at Magnite, for Mediaweek’s Newsmakers podcast.

A monster first quarter of consumer hits created an equally massive stress test upon the ad tech stack at Nine. Edwards knows the sheer scale of this challenge firsthand.

“We call it the quarter of two quarters,” Edwards said during the podcast. “It has definitely been a remarkable first quarter. Obviously, from a 9Now perspective, we have dominated the key demographics. We have had major hits like Married at First Sight, Winter Olympics, Australian Open.”

Listen to the full podcast with Julia Edwards and Maddy Mewing here.

Busting the Black Box Myth

Packaging those premium viewers often leads marketers into the world of programmatic advertising, where they can reach audiences across multiple publishers in a more scalable and efficient way.

Mewing pushed back on the industry narrative that programmatic advertising remains inherently flawed.

“It hurts me when programmatic is said that it is a black box, because I think if you are with the right partners, that is not the case,” Mewing said. “At Magnite, one of our biggest mantras is transparency. We provide the technology, and the broadcasters use it how they would like it to be used.”

The Challenge to Media Agencies

That direct relationship between publisher and tech partner provides the ultimate weapon for supply path optimisation. When multiple tech intermediaries clip the ticket along the way, working media budgets quickly evaporate.

Mewing laid down a direct challenge to media buyers who still rely on bloated multi-hop supply paths.

“Research shows that 50 to 60 cents of the dollar reaches the publisher,” Mewing noted. “So those intermediaries that come through there, I would challenge your agency: what are those values, who are they, and what are they charging? Demand that transparency so you ensure that all of your dollars are going towards your working media.”

Nine-and-Magnite-programmatic-Maddy-Mewing

Taming the Live Sport Beast

Standard digital campaigns afford buyers the luxury of time to calibrate pacing and delivery. Live sport operates in a completely different reality.

When a major game kicks off, millions log on simultaneously. This traffic surge forces the infrastructure to make split-second decisions without crashing.

“We are talking about bidders that work in milliseconds, right?” Edwards explained. “But a millisecond that has to go to the US West Coast and then come back to an APAC Singapore region to come back to Australia to make a decision in the middle of State of Origin, you have got to make that faster. Any delay is a missed revenue opportunity.”

This exact challenge is why Nine leverages Magnite’s purpose-built live infrastructure, which includes Live Scheduler.

The technology allows Nine to ingest metadata, forecast demand ahead of a big moment, and pre-position inventory rather than reacting blindly to a sudden traffic surge.

The Agentic Future of Buying

The industry currently braces for incoming privacy changes and the rise of artificial intelligence. Consequently, the technical complexity behind the scenes only increases.

“The big buzzword at the moment is agentic, and how that will work within the programmatic ecosystem,” Mewing said, referencing the shift toward automated AI buyers and sellers. “Making sure that there is transparency across the funnel is very hard to just pick up and run. As these technologies mature, they have the potential to streamline workflows, improve decision-making, and unlock greater efficiency across the ecosystem.”

If the industry hands the keys over to automated agents, we’d be best reminded that the most resilient tool in a programmatic tech stack might not a piece of software. But a transparent, human partnership.

Explore the Nine Advantage today

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The News Effect | The Gen Z Curator: Why Quality News is a North Star

EPISODE TWO //

The Gen Z Curator

Why Quality News is a North Star

Contrary to the myth that younger audiences have checked out of traditional media, Gen Z is proving to be the most discerning and news hungry demographic yet. Lisa Muxworthy, Head of Growth Content for Nine Publishing, breaks down how The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age are meeting this story-first generation.

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Pictured: Lisa Muxworthy (left) and Ashleigh Thomas (right)

There is a massive misconception that Gen Z has abandoned the news. In reality, the data tells a completely different story. This is a generation of curators who actively manage information from five or more sources simultaneously, and they are the demographic most inclined to pay for a news subscription.

In the second episode of The News Effect series, Ashleigh Thomas is joined by Lisa Muxworthy to discuss how Nine is evolving its distribution to reach this audience without compromising on editorial authority.

From article-first to story-first

To reach an audience that lives across social feeds, Nine has shifted its approach to content delivery. According to Muxworthy, the goal is to meet Gen Z where they are, rather than waiting for them to find a traditional landing page.

“The biggest shift for us has been video – it’s increasingly audience-first,” Muxworthy explains. “When we have a big investigation, it’s not just a long read. It’s a 90-second video giving the behind-the-scenes, and it’s a podcast episode on The Morning Edition featuring the reporter behind the story. It’s gone past being ‘article-first’ to being ‘story-first.’”

The subscription mindset

Gen Z’s willingness to pay for news comes from a place of skepticism. In a digital environment flooded with unverified claims, they are looking for a professional source to act as their personal fact-checker.

“They have a really healthy news diet,” says Muxworthy. “What they want from us is trust and authority. They are seeing things in their social feed fed by an algorithm and using our brands to say, ‘Okay, is this correct or not?’”

As AI-generated content makes it harder to distinguish fiction from fact, the value of having boots on the ground – whether it’s a reporter in a local courtroom or a foreign correspondent in Lebanon – provides a level of validation that an algorithm cannot match.

Breaking the echo chamber

One of the greatest risks of a social-only news diet is the echo chamber effect, where algorithms serve users content that only reinforces their existing beliefs. Muxworthy argues that Gen Z’s habit of consulting multiple sources shows a desire to be challenged – a need that heritage mastheads are uniquely positioned to fill.

“We should all be challenged. We should be hearing both sides of a story,” Muxworthy notes. “Whether it’s balanced reporting or hearing a different opinion that you might not agree with, it makes you think.”

The bottom line for brands

For advertisers, the 'Gen Z Curator' represents a high-value opportunity. This audience isn't passive; they are active, engaged, and willing to invest in quality. By appearing alongside trusted journalism, brands align themselves with the authority and credibility that this generation is actively seeking.

As Muxworthy concludes: “They don’t want AI sludge. They want to pay for a service they can trust. Journalism will be around for many years because of what we are able to give our audiences.”

Watch the full interview with Lisa Muxworthy to learn how the next generation is reshaping the future of news.

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The News Effect | The Verification Layer: Why Trusted News is a Brand’s Greatest Superpower

EPISODE ONE //

The Verification Layer

Why Trusted News is a Brand's Greatest Superpower

In an era of AI-generated content and social media echo chambers, the value of a ‘verification layer’ has never been higher. Jordan Baker, Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald, explores why Australians are turning to heritage newsrooms to fact-check their world and why brands should be standing right beside them.

VerificationLayer_Still

Pictured: Jordan Baker (left) and Ashleigh Thomas (right)

The digital landscape is currently facing a crisis of credibility. As misinformation rises and deepfakes become indistinguishable from reality, the "News Effect" has shifted. It is no longer just about information delivery; it is about authentication.

In the first episode of The News Effect series, Ashleigh Thomas sits down with Jordan Baker to discuss the evolving role of The Sydney Morning Herald as a source of verified media. Recent research from ThinkNewsBrands reveals that two out of five Australians now use news platforms specifically to fact-check what they see on social media.

For Baker, this isn't a new phenomenon, it’s a 195-year-old legacy.

The 195-year-old fact checker

While social media thrives on hot takes and immediate reactions, Baker explains that the Herald’s superpower is its rigorous editorial process.

“We pride ourselves on accuracy foremost,” Baker says. “What you read in the Herald has been checked multiple times. We’ve had subs look at it, people double-checking the maths and the quotes. People know they can’t quite trust what they see on social media, so they come to us to verify it.”

This long-standing history of integrity creates a halo effect for the environment. In a world where audiences don't believe their eyes, the newsroom acts as the ultimate filter, providing a safe harbor for both readers and advertisers.

AI: The tool, not the journalist

As AI becomes a common fixture in content generation, Baker is clear on its role within a premium newsroom: it is an efficiency tool, not a replacement for human intellect.

“AI will never replace the critical cognitive thinking skills of a human journalist,” Baker asserts. “AI is not going to be at a crime scene describing what it sees, or talking to victims in a court case to find out how they feel.”

Instead, the Herald utilises AI to handle laborious data tasks - like roaming through online documents or identifying subject matter experts - freeing up journalists to do the boots-on-the-ground work that builds trust. For brands, this ensures that the content they appear alongside is produced with human nuance and ethical oversight.

The power of the engaged mindset

A common misconception among some advertisers is that hard news is a restrictive environment. However, Baker highlights that the Herald’s audience engagement is holistic. A reader may arrive to verify a political story, but they stay to engage with lifestyle, travel, and culture.

“People might come to check what’s going on overseas with Trump, but they might stay to look at which restaurants are the hottest in town or where to go for a drink,” Baker says.

By avoiding news environments, brands risk missing out on a highly engaged, emotionally connected audience. “Our readers are reading about heartbreaking news, but they are also reading beautiful stories about relationships or sport,” Baker adds.

The bottom line for brands

The message for marketers is clear: proximity to truth matters. If a brand wants to be trusted, it must be present in environments where trust is the primary commodity.

As Baker concludes: “If you stay away from news, you are missing an element that is emotionally connecting with readers. You’d be missing a very big and very engaged audience.”

Watch the full interview with Jordan Baker to learn more about the Verification Layer and the News Effect.

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Growth Beats ROI: Why Effectiveness is the New North Star

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Growth Beats ROI: Why Effectiveness is the New North Star

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Stewart Gurney

Director of Strategy and Effectiveness, Nine

At the 2026 Future of TV Advertising conference in Sydney, Stewart Gurney, Powered by Nine’s Director of Strategy and Effectiveness, delivered a compelling challenge to the industry: stop chasing efficiency at the expense of growth.

Watch the session now, or if you prefer a written summary, read the insights below.

Gurney opened with a hard truth for advertisers: while ROI has become the “shortcut for success” in boardrooms, it is often an efficiency metric that prioritises cost-cutting over profit maximisation. And, by focusing solely on ROI, brands are falling into an under-optimisation trap, missing out on an estimated $4 billion in potential profit.

This is the catalyst for The Growth Project – Nine’s commitment to proving Total TV’s contribution to driving bottom-line results.  

Gurney went on to outline three distinct growth pillars for advertisers to shift from this ROI, efficiency-obsessed mindset to an effectiveness mindset to reclaim lost that profit: 

1. Sales Growth: The Power of Scale and Saturation

The core of Gurney’s session focused on the inverse correlation between ROI and profit growth. Because ROI improves as you spend less, it often leads brands to underinvest in the channels that actually move the needle.

The Revenue Driver: Analysis from Mutinex revealed that Total TV (TTV) is the second-highest contributor to media-driven revenue, generating 22% of all media-attributed sales, double platforms like YouTube.

The “Gym Bro” Analogy: To illustrate the difference between efficiency and effectiveness, Gurney compared media channels to moving house, with digital performance channels as your “fast” friends, good at moving the small boxes, and TTV as your “gym bro mate”, capable of lifting the heavy furniture. If you prioritise  your “fast” digital mates moving you, you’re leaving the heavy furniture (profit) behind.

High Saturation Points: Unlike digital channels that get tired or reach a plateau quickly, TTV continues to deliver. With the highest saturation point in the Australian market, brands can invest significantly more in TV before seeing diminishing returns. Despite this, 83% of advertisers remain underinvested in the medium.

2. Brand Growth: Content, Context, and Co-Viewing

Two very powerful dynamics make TV superior at brand building, Gurney explained – the content advertising is associated with, and the context of the viewing moment. What someone watches and how they watch it is often a forgotten dynamic when it comes to cross-screen planning.

The Big Screen Advantage: Viewing on a TV screen produces 60% higher ad recall than mobiles or tablets, largely because viewers are in a more relaxed, receptive state.

The Power of Company: 40% of Australians watch free-to-air content with others. This co-viewing creates social resonance and memory structures, making audiences twice as likely to mimic an ad when watching with others.

The Trust Era: In an age of fake news, professionally produced content generates 60% higher recall and significantly more trust than user-generated content (UGC).

3. Short-Term Growth: Priming the Performance Pump

While TV is often viewed as a long-term play, Gurney highlighted its critical role in driving performance, acting as a primer that makes the bottom of the funnel work harder.

Supercharging Digital: TV investment leads to a 14% improvement in search and social conversations.

Bypassing the Search Trap: With AI tools like Gemini and ChatGPT disrupting traditional search, getting consumers to go direct-to-site is vital – 66% of TV-initiated searches are direct or organic, allowing brands to leapfrog expensive, generic search terms.

Action Driver: Data from Adgile confirms that 1 in 3 media-attributable actions (web visits or app interactions) are driven by TV, proving its immediate impact on the digital ecosystem.

Many of these insights require advertisers to think differently and challenge existing biases  However, the takeaway is simple: if growth matters to your business, effectiveness matters. And if effectiveness matters, then TV matters. 

Explore more Growth Project insights today

Source: Nine Project 2025 Mutinex/ Kantar/ Adgile, Thinkbox Context Effects Study

Looking for more efficient, effective and transparent ways to grow your business? Enquire today.

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‘Headliners’ Presented by Nine, in Partnership with B&T

Showcasing the best in publishing, ​in partnership with B&T

In a world of endless scrolls and shifting algorithms, some stories simply refuse to be ignored. They command attention, spark conversation and stay with you long after the screen goes dark or the page is turned.

Now entering an evolved chapter, Nine has partnered with B&T to showcase the best in print and digital advertising. Whether it's the tactile prestige of a full-page spread or the data-driven precision of a digital masthead, Headliners spotlights the brands that don't just buy media – they own the moment.

Join us as we go behind the creative that captivates Australia.​

For our new series 'Headliners', B&T Editor Tom Fogden talks all things publishing with Nine's Ashleigh Thomas, Commercial Director – Publishing Sales, Julia Naughton, Head of Life – Culture, Lifestyle & Travel, and Sarah Norris, Head of Good Food. Whether it's the tactile prestige of a full-page spread or the data-driven precision of a digital masthead, Headliners spotlights the brands that don't just buy media – they own the moment.

Explore the Headliners

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Brewing Up a Revolution with T2

To establish T2 Tea’s professional credibility within Australia’s elite cafe culture, the brand partnered with Good Food’s Essential Sydney & Melbourne Cafes & Bakeries 2025 guide. This multi-layered campaign successfully blended the tangible nature of print with rich digital storytelling.

Read more

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Celebrating Heritage and Horizon with Range Rover

When the Australian Financial Review Magazine marked its landmark 30th anniversary, the theme of ‘Visionaries’ provided the perfect backdrop for Range Rover. This milestone was a unique opportunity to align with the individuals who have shaped the last three decades and those who will define the next thirty.

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AFRxScenic

An “Ikonic” Moment for Scenic and The Australian Financial Review

Scenic’s primary ambition was to solidify its position as the global vanguard of ultra-luxury travel, specifically targeting Australia's most affluent and influential decision-makers. The brand sought to move beyond traditional travel marketing to cultivate genuine advocacy, positioning its Discovery Yachts not merely as vessels, but as the gold standard for high-net-worth individuals who view travel as an extension of their lifestyle. Anchoring the campaign was the unveiling of their newest vessel, Scenic Ikon, and reinforcing Scenic’s identity as an Australian-founded success story that understands the modern traveller's deep connection to wellness and cultural sophistication. 

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CareerOne: On the Money with 9Honey

In a traditional recruitment landscape, job platforms typically wait for a user to feel a spark of urgency before they engage. However, CareerOne recognised that while most Australians are not actively refreshing job boards, they are constantly navigating a “quiet uncertainty” regarding their professional worth. In partnership with AI specialist Decidr, CareerOne identified a significant gap between the way people consume daily lifestyle content and the way they reflect on their own careers, pay and purpose. The insight was simple yet profound: people rarely discuss salary openly, leaving a persistent, lingering question of whether they are being underpaid. 

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Nine Dominates First Quarter with Record Audiences

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The combined power of the 9Network, 9Now and Stan ensures Nine is the ultimate growth platform for scale and engagement.

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9Network secures the No.1 position
across all key demographics and Total People

Australians have turned to Nine for news, sport and entertainment in 2026, ensuring the collective audience growth across the 9Network, 9Now and Stan has dominated viewing in the first quarter of the year.

As Nine’s Streaming and Broadcast division delivers on its promise to convert national cultural moments into commercial scale and high-value growth within a unified FTA, BVOD and SVOD ecosystem, the 9Network has officially dominated the metro market in 2026 calendar year-to-date, securing the No.1 position across all key demographics and Total People.

9Now is the nation's No.1 Commercial Free-To-Air (CFTA) BVOD platform, leading the year-to-date across all key demographics and Total People. Notably, the 9Network currently holds a 55% prime time commercial share in the P16-39 demographic, while 9Now commands the BVOD landscape with the same share in the P16-39.

With 2026 beginning with the Summer of Tennis and Australian Open, then followed by the Winter Olympics, Married At First Sight and the launch of the NRL season - all underpinned by 9News, A Current Affair and 60 Minutes - a strategy that connects Nine’s viewing platforms like never before is coming to life.

As audiences migrate between the 9Network, 9Now and Stan, a connected ecosystem has been supercharged through cross-platform promotion, on-air commentary and clear pathways for viewers that drive incremental engagement across every screen.

This model ensures that mass broadcast reach converts into sustained engagement on 9Now and subscriber acquisition on Stan/Stan Sport, maximising the commercial return on Nine’s content investment.

Nowhere is this strategy more successfully illustrated than the unprecedented success of Married at First Sight, delivering record audiences on Channel 9 and 9Now, and now also driving subscriber acquisition and engagement on Stan. The 2026 season of MAFS reached over 16 million viewers nationally across Total TV, up 5.9% on last year, and generated more than 9.3 billion Total TV minutes viewed.

Leveraging the power of the MAFS format led to the creation of the new Stan original MAFS: After the Dinner Party, to extend the commercial reach of the format. The launch of MAFS: After the Dinner Party is Stan’s highest ever single episode subscription driver in a 24 hour period, and has been the number one series on platform since launch. It is the highest reaching launch of the last 12 months.

Commercial Broadcast Television
6pm to midnight - 5 City Metro - 2026 Q1

 

Network
Network
Network
25-54 51.2% 28.9% 20.0%
16-39 55.9% 25.6% 18.5%
GS+CH 46.3% 35.9% 17.8%
Total People 46.4% 35.8% 17.8%

 

Source: OzTAM VOZ 5.0 Data, When Watched, 01/01/2026-13/04/2026, Share to Selected, 1800-MN, 5 City Metro, Broadcast TV only (including spill)

Broadcast Video On Demand - Commercial Shares
All Day - 2026 Q1

 

25-54 51.9% 35.5% 12.6%
16-39 55.5% 32.9% 11.6%
GS+CH 49.4% 37.3% 13.2%
Total People 49.7% 37.3% 13.0%

 

Source: OzTAM VOZ 5.0 Data, When Watched, 01/01/2026-13/04/2026, Share to Selected, All Day,, National, BVOD (including spill)

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Quarter 1
Ratings Highlights

SPORT

Australian Open 2026: The Australian Open delivered strong audience growth across 9Network, 9Now and Stan Sport. The tournament reached over 14 million Australians while the Men’s Final achieved a record National Total TV average audience of 3.448 million (up 67% YoY). This broadcast scale saw huge growth on 9Now, with audiences surging to a record 924,000 (up 141% YoY) and Stan Sport recording viewership growth of 110% YoY.

Milano Cortina 2026: Nine’s coverage of the Winter Olympics has already been watched by more than half of the Australian population, reaching 14.4 million people across Total TV with a Broadcast TV reach of 12.1 million and a BVOD Reach of 4.5 million. 9Now has provided 19% incremental reach to broadcast TV, with 46% of People 16-39 watching the Winter Olympics via 9Now only. Stan Sport’s comprehensive coverage of the Winter Olympics supported this scale with over 200 million minutes watched. This contributed to the most weekly active users in Stan Sport’s history, as subscribers engaged with the full depth of the sport lineup, from the Winter Olympics to the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, Super Rugby Pacific and Six Nations.

Wide World of Sports Momentum (NRL & WTA): The 2026 NRL season launch in Las Vegas delivered a timeslot-winning performance across all key demographics, with a 61.7% surge in BVOD streaming on 9Now.

 

ENTERTAINMENT

Married at First Sight  again broke records, proving the power of Nine’s Total TV strategy. Reaching a Total TV audience of 16 million viewers over 11 weeks, the series was up 5.9% on last year.  The season signalled a shift in viewing habits, with MAFS growing its streaming audiences on 9Now by 41.1% YoY. The episode screened on Sunday, March 1 has had a 28-day consolidated audience of 3.296 million, which is the highest Total TV National Audience the show has received in VOZ history.

This unprecedented scale on the 9Network provided the ultimate funnel for the Stan Original MAFS: After The Dinner Party, which set a new benchmark for customer acquisition, breaking the all-time 24-hour subscription record for Stan (previously held by Yellowstone) and resulting in an 81% increase in new Stan subscribers week-on-week.

Tipping Point Australia continues to dominate  the 5pm timeslot, delivering strong year-on-year growth of +1.7%, captivating a National Total TV Audience of 740,000 per episode. With a BVOD National Average Audience of 105,000, the show is up 71.4% YTD and remains Australia’s must-watch afternoon game show.

 

NEWS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS

9News 6.00pm bulletin Mon-Fri grew its audience by +6.6% year-on-year to date (National Total TV Aud of 1.225 million) with a 79.4% increase in BVOD viewership on 9Now (National BVOD Aud 179,000 per bulletin). Furthermore, 9News won its timeslot across the 5 City Metro and in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. It also achieved significant year-on-year growth across the markets:
5 City Metro +7.0%
Sydney +2.8%
Melbourne +1.6%
Brisbane +11.4%
Adelaide +20.1%
Perth +15.7%
Regional +3.9%

Australia’s most-watched nightly public affairs program, A Current Affair, continued to dominate, with viewership growing by +0.2% year-on-year to reach a National Total TV audience of 1.014 million each night.

60 Minutes has continued to deliver powerful investigative journalism that resonates with Australians, achieving a National Total TV audience of 853,000. 

Meanwhile, Today  attracts a National Total TV audience of 317,000 each morning.

 

Source: OzTAM VOZ 5.0 Data, TVMap VOZ Program Analyser, YTD to 20/04/2026 v STLY, Average Audience, Reach, National (inc Spill), Markets (excl Spill), Total TV, Con 28 & Overnight

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Amanda Laing, Nine Managing Director Streaming and Broadcast, said:

“From the Australian Open to MAFS we are seeing collective audience growth across 9Network, 9Now and Stan. By moving from siloed platforms to a connected system, we are leveraging our production, data, and distribution at every touchpoint to optimise our content investment. This isn’t just about record breaking audience numbers; it’s about a more efficient and sustainable model that allows us to deliver greater value for our consumers and more effective outcomes for our partners.”

“By designing our consumer experiences to be complementary rather than competitive, we are building a more sustainable business. The scale of broadcast TV is successfully converting into high-value engagement across our digital platforms. This is the Streaming and Broadcast strategy in action, allowing us to use our unique Australian reach to fuel our own growth engines. Our performance so far this year is the direct result of a structural shift in how we manage our assets and capitalise on what is the most enviable first quarter content slate in the country.”

Contact us for more information on how your brand can leverage the power of premium content on Nine to deliver real business outcomes.

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State of the Nation: Trust, Truth, and the Mental Dividend

Nine Publishing

Independence  |  stories that matter  |  commercial with integrity

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Insights from Nine's State of the Nation Panel //

Trust, Truth, and the Mental Dividend

April 23, 2026

Panellists

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Jordan Baker

Editor, The Sydney
Morning Herald 

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Katie Davies

Executive Editor,
nine.com.au

KylarLoussikian_HS

Kylar Loussikian

Business Editor, The Australian Financial Review 

The current media landscape presents a striking irony: while information is more abundant than ever, certainty has never felt scarcer.

Earlier this week, Nine Publishing’s Managing Director, Tory Maguire joined industry leaders to unpack the state of the nation, and the critical forces shaping our nation’s future. Between fluctuating interest rates and the AI revolution, for marketers and business leaders, the desire to cut through the "noise" has never been stronger. 

The Flight to Fact: A Transfer of Trust

Ash Thomas, Nine Publishing’s Commercial Director, opened the session by revealing insights from the "News Nation" research by ThinkNewsBrands, and how with the rise of AI-generated content and social media scepticism, 74% of Australians are deeply concerned about misinformation. 

The result? A significant "flight to quality." Trust in national news publishers has climbed to 78%, with two in five Australians now using mastheads like The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Australian Financial Review as a verification layer to fact-check their social feeds. 

"For brands, this provides a massive mental dividend," Thomas noted. "Readers slow down and lean in when they engage with our journalism. Ads in these environments see 6.4 times higher unprompted recall than anywhere else on the web." 

Navigating the Wild Ride of Current News

Host and Nine Publishing’s Managing Director Tory Maguire, took the room on a journey of her three-hour morning window, being served updates around global events, and how they can drastically change from moment to moment. Posing to the panel, how do newsrooms manage the sheer volume of global events, and curating desired content for each of their audiences?  

Jordan Baker, Editor, The Sydney Morning Herald, highlighted the success of live blogging, noting that readers are personally invested in global conflicts. “They are fascinated with what we are going to wake up to, as current economic events such as the fuel crisis raises curiosity – will we still be driving our cars in a few months?” The news cycle is treated as both essential information and a high-stakes narrative, and the SMH has adapted by putting significant resources into the live team because the current state of global events is so consequential. 

Katie Davies, Executive Editor, nine.com.au emphasised that in a 24/7 cycle, it’s not about being “first” anymore but being "right", which is essentially the only way to maintain the 10 million-strong audience that relies on Nine’s mass-reach platform and trusted voice. 

Economic Resilience and Structural Shifts

On the economy, Kylar Loussikian, Business Editor, The Australian Financial Review provided a nuanced take on the current "optimism bias" in the markets. Despite the Strait of Hormuz closures and inflationary pressures, the ASX remains resilient. However, Loussikian warned that the full impact of global supply chain disruptions, affecting everything from PVC piping to resin, has yet to fully trickle down to company bottom lines. 

The panel also touched on the growing sense of "intergenerational disenfranchisement." Jordan Baker pointed to the housing crisis and the rising cost of education as drivers for a shifting political landscape, where younger Australians are increasingly seeking immediate change and "plain speaking" from leaders, hence the rise in “grievance parties."

AI: A Tool, Not A Replacement

The conversation concluded with a forward-looking discussion on Artificial Intelligence. The consensus across Nine’s mastheads was clear: while AI is a powerful labour-saving tool for data analysis and research, it cannot replace "boots on the ground." 

"AI can’t go to a crime scene, and it can’t have background conversations with sources to find the real story," Baker said. The panel noted that as AI becomes more prevalent, the value of "soft skills" – EQ, relationship building, and critical thinking – will become the most sought-after traits in the workforce. 

Key Takeaways

Verification Matters: Australians are hungrier than ever to validate the "truth" of what they see on social media. The role of responsible journalism in Nine’s newsrooms, and being the trusted voice for the nation, will remain at the core of everything we do.

High Engagement: Cost-of-living and practical "help" content (from budget winners to value-tested products) are driving record engagement across all brands.

The Trust ROI: Partnering with Nine Publishing brands delivers an average ROI of $3.90 for every $1 spent, driven by the "transfer of trust" from journalism to advertising.

For more insights, Nine has launched The News Effect, a five-part video series exploring the impact of premium news environments on brand outcomes.

Learn More

Consumer Pulse April 2026

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WHAT'S HOT AND WHAT'S NOT

April 2026

The national mood is predominately negative, with a strong drop in Net Positive Emotions while Net Negative Emotions increase. Despite this, Nine’s audience value their health, life enjoyment, and family security but also show increased importance for a world at peace. While 1 in 3 are feeling a mix of optimistic and cautious due global unrest and rising costs, 1 in 2 are still feeling financially secure; all fuelling opinions and conversations this month.

Portrait of beautiful senior couple on bike ride in autumn nature. Taking break, drinking water from sport bottle and fastening helmet.

3 April - 6 April, 2026

Inside this month’s Consumer Pulse dip

Concept of male mental health, anxiety and depression at home.

Mood of the Nation >

Female friends sitting in cafe with mug of coffee, talking, support, friendship

CONVERSATION STARTERS >

Mood of the Nation

The national mood

The national mood has further declined with a dramatic decrease in positive sentiment while negative sentiment has seen a significant uplift. The net negative mood has reached a record high, even surpassing levels seen during COVID. Australians are feeling frustrated, anxious and unsure, with these emotions seeing an increase month on month, reflecting a shift into a more negative mindset.

NOTE: For the best viewing experience on mobile, please view landscape.

Dominant mood indicators

The top moods are dominated by negative emotions, with only the bottom 3 of the top 10 feelings including the positive sentiment of calm, relaxed and hopeful. Frustrated, anxious and unsure top the list this month as the top 3 feelings. The dominance of negative emotions continues further down the list with pessimistic, annoyed, stressed, and sceptical, occupying the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th  positions. The heightened negative sentiment across Nine’s audience reflects the escalating global unrest.

NOTE: For the best viewing experience on mobile, please view landscape.

NATIONAL MOOD BREAKDOWN

of the under 45 age group feel stressed

The top 5 feelings overall are dominated by negative emotions, a consistency across all age groups that reinforces the widespread impact of the current climate. However, those under 45 show stronger levels of stress (30%) and anxiety (38%) in comparison to older audiences. Additionally, males report strong levels of frustration (35%) and annoyance (30%), while females are more likely to be anxious (34%).

Burnout, stress and business woman in office feeling pain, exhausted or migraine. Headache, mental health and anxiety of tired female employee overworked, stressed and depressed in company workplace.

BRAND CONSIDERATION

Brands must move beyond mere visibility to provide a stability premium that counters widespread anxiety with reliability and combats demographic-specific frustrations through frictionless, hyper-accessible service.

Australian Values

Australians are secure but still concerned

When it comes to what matters most, health remains the most important value for Australians. This core value, along with enjoying life and family security, has continued to matter most year on year.

Other values have seen some slight shifts, with increased importance placed on a world at peace (up 9 percentage points) and national security (up 3 percentage points), reinforcing that the current global unrest is at the forefront of consumers' minds.

At the same time, the importance of well-being ideals such as mental health, and meaningful relationships through mature love and true friendship have seen a minor decline from the previous quarter.

NOTE: For the best viewing experience on mobile, please view landscape.

Conversation Starters

OUTLOOK ON THE YEAR AHEAD

of Nine's audience are feeling cautious

Outlook on the year ahead differs between demographics with older Australians feeling both optimistic and cautious  

While around 1 in 2 are feeling cautious about the year ahead, 1 in 3 are feeling a mix of optimistic and pessimistic. Younger audiences show a highly cautious outlook, while older audiences express a stronger mix of both optimism and caution. Cautious sentiment stems from global conflicts and instability, as well as increased financial stress due to price increases. Those experiencing a mixed outlook, attribute it to comfort and security within their personal world despite the instability globally, as well as some expressing the perception that the current issues are short term and will pass.

Young woman holding card in a cafe thinking

BRAND CONSIDERATION

To bridge the gap between global instability and personal security, brands should position themselves as reliable anchors that validate the caution of younger consumers through value-driven stability while tapping into the personal world optimism of older audiences by highlighting long-term resilience.

Financial security

of Nine's audience are feeling financially secure

Half of Australians feel financially secure despite global conflicts and rising prices dominating concerns 

Current concerns are dominated by global conflicts and their impact on fuel prices as well as national security (78%), and rising prices for essentials (70%). However, despite these concerns 1 in 2 are still feeling financially secure. Older audiences show less concern than those under 45 for high rent, rising interest rates, ability to buy a home and ability to afford non-essentials (e.g., holidays, dining out), reinforcing that they feel more financially secure and are likely to maintain their current spending habits. Additionally, females show higher concern over the cost of essentials, while males are slightly more concerned about political polarisation / social division.

BRAND CONSIDERATION

To succeed in a market defined by starkly different financial realities, brands must deploy a flexible value proposition that pairs empathetic, cost-conscious messaging for those feeling the squeeze with high-confidence, lifestyle-affirming engagement for the significant portion of the population whose spending power remains resilient.

Midsection of sommelier explaining about wine to smiling couple. Senior man and woman are sitting in restaurant for winetasting. They are spending leisure time.

NEWS CONSUMPTION

of Nine's audience are increasing the time they spend accessing news

Australians news consumption increased for 1 in 5, with Australians prioritising reliable and trusted sources 

In the last month, Nine’s audience expressed being more selective with their news sources (37%) and more reliant on trusted news sources (33%), highlighting the increasing importance Australians are placing on reliability and credibility. Additionally, news consumption has seen an uplift with 1 in 5 increasing the time they spend accessing news. The combination of these behaviours tells us that audiences are engaging more deeply with content they perceive as credible, rather than passively consuming a wide variety of sources.

Older audiences show strong engagement with news in comparison to younger audiences, with those under 45 tiring more so of the Middle East conflict coverage. Additionally, females are looking to counterbalance the prevailing negative mood, with 1 in 4 seeking out good news / lighter news stories.

A man holding a newspaper while standing outdoors in an urban environment. The image showcases leisure, focus, and information-seeking activities during a typical day in a city.

BRAND CONSIDERATION

In an era of rising news fatigue and heightened discernment, brands must prioritise placement within high-trust, credible environments to capitalise on deeper audience engagement.

March 2026 Data
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