Meanwhile, a new tent pole format, Stranded on Honeymoon, is a twist on your regular dating show. Couples are matched by experts following a speed dating event, then abandoned on a deserted tropical island for the adventure of a lifetime.

Other newcomers to Seven’s local line-up in 2025 include Once In A Lifetime, a new vehicle for Seven’s high-profile talent, Dr Chris Brown. Brown was previously host of Dream House, a home renovation program that won’t return after one season.

Seven’s television boss Angus Ross said ratings, advertiser performance and cost factor into programming decisions, and in the end there wasn’t “enough to justify [Dream Home’s] return”.

Once In a Lifetime is a comedy-travel program in which Dr Chris Brown is joined by Australian personalities (Mick Molloy, Amanda Keller, Kate Ritchie, and Matt Preston) on his globetrotting adventures.

Jim Jefferies And Friends sees the comedian hosting an “adults-only” late-night show featuring a roster of his friends, including Dave Hughes, Jimeoin, Arj Barker, Tommy Little, Nikki Osborne, Mel Buttle, and Felicity Ward.

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The network also unveiled a series of music-themed special event programs, including Working Class Man, a documentary based on Jimmy Barnes’ best-selling book, which sees the legendary singer tell his story, and Live It Up: The Mental As Anything Story.

Noticeably absent from Seven’s upfronts were any new original local drama commissions. Stephen Peacocke’s RFDS will receive a third season, and Home & Away returns for another year, but the network didn’t announce any new local scripted content.

Ross said while Australians want more locally produced dramatic content, and programmers like himself want to commission more, Seven and its free-to-air counterparts “have to be sensible around budgets”.

“You’re seeing it now in the streaming world, where spend was out of control during that peak TV period. Now what they’re introducing is ad-tiers, less shows and that sort of thing. Everybody has to be accountable in the end,” Ross said.

Seven has an influx of new dramatic programming on its free streaming platform 7Plus via its content deal with US studio NBC, such as a Suits spinoff, Suits LA.

“When we invest in a drama we want it to work on broadcast and on streaming, whereas with things such as the overseas content [...] most of them tend to deliver more of the audience in on the streaming side of things, but that’s OK because they come in at a lower price point,” Ross said.

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