The Real Housewives of Australia franchise 'effectively dead' after production company closes

A TV industry insider has declared that the popular Real Housewives of Australia  franchise is dead.

Matchbox Pictures, owned by US media giant Universal International Studios, closed their doors earlier this week, sending shockwaves through the industry. 

The Sydney based company successfully rebooted The Real Housewives of Melbourne in 2021, after a three-year absence, and went on to do the same with The Real Housewives of Sydney in 2023.

An inside source has told Daily Mail that at the time of the announcement, producers were actively looking at a new format for the Melbourne housewives. 

'As it stands right now, Housewives Australia is effectively dead,' they said.

'Without Matchbox, there is no active engine behind the franchise. Everything has come to a halt.'

The insider confirmed that a new season of The Real Housewives of Melbourne was in the works. 

'There were absolutely conversations happening,' they said.

'Names from the golden era were being floated. There was real excitement that Melbourne might return in a big way.'

They added: 'It's left a lot of the women blindsided. They genuinely thought the franchise had life again.'

The insider also discouraged speculation that new producers could get the franchise underway in the near future. 

'Housewives isn't a show you just hand over and reboot instantly,' they explained.

'Matchbox carried the relationships, the format knowledge, the creative tone. Losing them creates a massive vacuum.'

With both the Sydney and Melbourne iterations of the Real Housewives franchise currently streaming on Binge and Foxtel, the source confirmed that networks are 'reassessing' their 'appetite' for the franchise.

'The brand isn't gone forever,' said another insider. 

'But right now? It's absolutely in limbo.'

Matchbox Pictures originated the franchise in Australia in 2014 and made household names out of cast members including Sydney socialite Terry Biviano and Melbourne's Gina Liano.

Daily Mail has approached Binge and Foxtel for comment. 

The closure of Matchbox Pictures is the sad end to one of Australian TV's biggest success stories.

Founded in 2008 by producers Tony Ayres, Penny Chapman, Helen Bowden, Michael McMahon and Helen Pankhurst, the brand was responsible for landmark TV series The Slap (2011) and House of Gods (2024). 

Its recent Netflix hit The Survivors has already reached an audience of 28 million viewers.

Matchbox Pictures was also responsible for the series Nowhere Boys (2013), Safe Harbour (2018), both of which won international Emmy Awards and Cate Blanchett's controversial ABC drama Stateless in 2020. 

The brand is currently enjoying success with the ABC comedy series Dog Park. 

Universal first bought into the company originally in 2014 and finally acquired it in 2018. The US company said in a statement:

'Following an extensive evaluation of the business and the broader production landscape, Matchbox will be closing after eighteen years (12 years since its NBCU acquisition). 

'Universal International Studios maintains its commitment to Australia, but as strategic priorities shift the studio is evolving its operating model in the region. 

'Moving forward the company will evaluate production opportunities and engage with local producers and talent on a case-by-case basis as new projects emerge.'

The closure will mean an end to Matchbox Pictures offices in Sydney and Melbourne, with a permanent staff of 30 being made redundant.