Lifetime powerhouse reality TV show Married at First Sight will be changing platforms over to Peacock in 2025, and it means several things for the show. The historic move comes as Peacock is bolstering its reality content. Picking up Married at First Sight was a surprising move, as it has always been a staple of the Lifetime network. Currently, Married at First Sight season 18 is airing on Lifetime. Season 18 is taking place in Chicago for the second time in the show’s history. MAFS season 5 was the last iteration in the Midwest city.
Peacock will be taking over Married at First Sight at a pivotal time in the show’s history, as it has been plagued by a poor matchmaking success rate and unprecedented scandals. While the scandals have proved to be juicy and have provided viewers with high entertainment value, they have taken away from the premise of the show. A cheating scandal rocked the MAFS cast members and viewers, as David Trimble has been cheating on his wife, Michelle Tomblin, with Allen Slovick’s wife, Madison Myers, and the new pair plan on trying to make their devious relationship work.
Married At First Sight Has Always Been A Lifetime Show
Lifetime Has Only Had A Few Reality Shows
Married at First Sight debuted with the Lifetime network in 2014. Every season to date has premiered on Lifetime. Lifetime is part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, LLC, a subsidiary of A+E Networks. They are perhaps best known for their bevy of drama-based movies tackling difficult topics and premises. However, there is an entire branch of the network dedicated to reality TV.
While Lifeitme’s competitors in the reality genre have always been TLC, MTV, and Bravo, Lifetime has made a name for itself thanks in big part to its Married at First Sight accolade. The other most notable reality shows under Lifetime include Dance Moms, Gypsy Rose: Life After Lockup, and Little Women: LA. Lifetime may have chosen to give Married at First Sight over to Peacock potentially because they got offered a great deal, although the details of the exchange are unknown. Another potential reason is that Lifetime could be endeavoring to focus more on their movies and scripted TV shows.
How Peacock Will Influence MAFS
Peacock Is Widely Recognized In The Reality TV Industry
Peacock is a much larger platform than Lifetime, as they have a wider variety of content. Moreover, Peacock already has a bevy of reality shows under its credit that are massively popular among fans. The Below Deck franchise, The Real Housewives franchise, The Traitors, Summer House, Vanderpump Rules, and Deal or No Deal Island are some of Peacock’s biggest hitters.
Moving Married at First Sight to Peacock will not only afford the show a wider audience but it will also have a completely different marketing strategy. Peacock is known for their realty show advertisement, and since Married at First Sight is already a well-known show, Peacock could elevate even further.
Fans will be able to have easily accessible streaming, whereas now, fans have to either purchase MAFS seasons on Prime Video, catch it on cable TV, or watch it with ads on Lifetime’s app.
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The MAFS Format Could Change
Several Changes Would Help MAFS’ Viewership
Since Married at First Sight has been struggling with its success rate among the couples the last few years, much to the dismay of viewers, Peacock could strive to change things up. Via @mafsfan, MAFS season 18 has taken a surprising shape that has detracted away from what the show sets out to do, which is to expertly match long-lasting couples. Peacock could shake up the show, either by selecting a new panel of experts with different skillsets instead of the current ill-performing and ill-received experts, or even add more couples, so the seasons have a better chance at successful pairings.
Married at First Sight season 19 will be premiering on Peacock in 2025. However, details concerning whether the format will change haven’t been released yet. The show has trended towards more interaction among the participants, and strayed from letting the couples focus more on themselves. And in season 18, with David and Madison’s scandal, that’s proved to do the show a disservice in terms of couple retention. But if the show is aiming to continue on the high-drama low pairing success route, the possibilities are endless.
Married At First Sight airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST on Lifetime.
Source: @mafsfan/Instagram
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
