The Sydney Morning Herald
· collected 2026-09-17 · by Louise Rugendyke
Sylvia Jeffreys and Tom Steinfort, the new hosts of Nine Network's "Today" show, have pledged to work hard to regain audience trust following recent staff changes. The article details Nine's upfronts announcement where they unveiled a new spin-off series for "The Block," titled "The House Next Door," and revealed Marryam Chehelnabi as the replacement expert for Married at First Sight after Mel Schilling's death. Jeffreys, who is due to give birth in January, faces challenges with lower ratings compared to rival show Sunrise; Today had 288,000 national average viewers on a recent Wednesday while Sunrise attracted 488,000.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-17,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
The newly crowned hosts of Today, Sylvia Jeffreys and Tom Steinfort, say they will work hard to regain the trust of the audience after a tumultuous few months at Nine’s beleaguered breakfast show.
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they → crown → show
“We’re going to work our butts off.
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We → go → butts
We will earn that trust from them, and I know that that doesn’t come easily, and we have to earn it,” said Jeffreys.
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Jeffreys → earn → it
The pair were confirmed as the new hosts on Thursday morning, and were front and centre at the network’s upfronts announcement that afternoon, as Nine looked to steady the ship after the sacking of long-time Today host Karl Stefanovic in June and the shock announcement on Wednesday of his former co-host Sarah Abo’s departure.
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Nine → confirm → departure
The network also unveiled a new spin-off to its hit reality series The Block and announced who would replace Married at First Sight expert Mel Schilling, who died of brain cancer in March.
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who → unveil → March
It also announced a reboot of its popular 1990s soap McLeod’s Daughters.
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It → announce → soap
Speaking ahead of the upfronts event on Thursday, Jeffreys said: “There’s no beating around the bush.
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Jeffreys → speak → bush
It’s been unsettled for our team, but it’s also been unsettled for our audience
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it → unsettle → audience
Added Steinfort: “You understand why some people might have, you know, lost a bit of faith or lost a bit of interest or whatnot, and hopefully people can come back and just start to enjoy it again.”
uncertain
people → add → it
The pair face an uphill battle in terms of ratings, with Today regularly beaten by Sunrise (288,000 national average viewers for Today on Wednesday, compared with Sunrise’s 488,000) and the complicating factor that Jeffreys is due to give birth to her third child in January.
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Jeffreys → face → January
“It is very much one day at a time at the moment,” said Jeffreys, who has co-hosted Today Extra with David Campbell since 2020.
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who → say → 2020
“We’re just getting through this announcement and everything that comes with that, and we’ll figure out that [maternity leave] plan down the track.”
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we → get → track
The confirmation of Jeffreys in the role came as somewhat of a surprise, as it had long been assumed that former Sunrise host Samantha Armytage would snag the gig.
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Armytage → come → gig
Armytage was widely thought to be a shoo-in when she joined Nine in 2024 after 21 years at Seven.
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she → think → Seven
However, she has since only filled in on Today intermittently, and hosted reality show The Golden Bachelor, the second season of which returns next year.
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season → fill → which
Jeffreys will be replaced on Today Extra by Belinda Russell.
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Jeffreys → replace → Russell
A replacement for Today weatherman Tim Davies, who finishes on Friday, was also not announced.
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who → finish → Friday
However, it was announced that psychotherapist Marryam Chehelnabi would join Married at First Sight as an expert.
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Chehelnabi → announce → expert
She has previously appeared on Couples Therapy Australia on SBS.
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She → appear → SBS
It was also announced that The Block would be extending into Nine-owned streaming service Stan, with a spin-off show The Block: The House Next Door, as would Love Island Australia, with a new “fan experience” show, Love Island Australia: Unseen.
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Australia → announce → show
Both shows follow in the successful footsteps of this year’s Married at First Sight spin-off MAFS: After the Dinner Party, which returns for a second season next year.
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which → follow → season
Nine’s head of streaming and broadcasting Amanda Laing said the success of After the Dinner Party “created a new blueprint for further extensions to delight existing fans of our biggest shows and find new ones”.
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success → say → ones
Stan also announced the resurrection of McLeod’s Daughters and a new show from Hamish Blake, Unskilled Adult, in which he tries to learn a new skill with celebrity friends each episode.
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he → announce → friends
On the drama front, a new Rachel Griffiths legal drama, Slander, was announced, along with the adaptation of Angourie and Kate Rice’s hit YA book Stuck Up and Stupid.
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drama → announce → book
It was also revealed that Jacki Weaver had joined the cast of the new six-part crime thriller Two Birds, and that medical dramedy The F Ward would return for a second season.
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Ward → reveal → season
We’ve got you.
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We → get → you
Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.
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Watchlist → get → ?
- Last Seen: Yes, Brendan Cowell is playing another “bad guy” in this divisive Australian thriller, but it’s more complicated than it seems.
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it → see → thriller
The former Australian Survivor host has one word for people boycotting the show: “good”.
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host → have → show
Australia’s favourite (and only?) TV rom com has come to an end.
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com → come → end
Here’s why the world fell in love with it.
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world → ’ → it
Meet the man who inspired the show.
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who → meet → show
Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.
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Watchlist → get → ?
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