‘Married at First Sight’ allegations shock UK TV industry
Financial Times
MAFS UK became the most watched British commercial on-demand streaming title in 2024, according to Channel 4. It has been particularly important for the E4 streaming service in attracting younger audiences, increasingly turning to platforms such as Netflix, and generating massive engagement on social media. It has even spawned an official podcast in the UK.
Mark Borkowski, a veteran British entertainment PR consultant, said: “For years, reality TV has sold itself as a democratic route to fame. But underneath it sits something much older and uglier: the atavistic Colosseum impulse.”
He predicted the crisis would not “kill reality TV” but it “will mean reality TV’s next phase will have to be less venal”.