The way television has worked for decades is this:

1. The major networks pay a lot of money for very good, very long-running shows such as MasterChef Australia and The Block. They run those shows with a lot of ads, which are sold assuming a large audience.
2. Then, around September or October, sales and marketing teams host a private party of sorts. Chief executives, chief sales officers and TV stars do their best Steve Jobs impressions, standing on a stage and unveiling the next year’s shows.
3. These events, called upfronts, mean media buyers – generally young, attractive people working for relatively unknown companies with strange names such as EssenceMediacom, PHD and Dentsu – can peruse the networks’ wares and negotiate a bulk advertising deal with sales teams for the following year
4. Depending on ratings and audiences, this gives certainty for networks to spend more money, buy new shows, and host next year’s party. And so the wheels turn.