Foxtel announced on May 8 that the hit reality series, The Real Housewives of Melbourne, has been commissioned for a second season on Arena.

Produced by Matchbox Pictures, part of NBCUniversal International Television Production, The Real Housewives of Melbourne season one was a runaway success for Arena and Foxtel and averaged a consolidated cumulative audience of 428,000 viewers each episode.

The season premiere delivered a final consolidated cumulative average audience of 542,000 viewers – the largest cumulative audience ever for a Foxtel reality programme. This figure includes all airings and time shift viewing of episode one which first screened on February 23.

Foxtel Executive Director of Television Brian Walsh said: “There is no doubt that The Real Housewives of Melbourne has been a game changer for Foxtel. The incredible reaction to our Housewives, including the blockbuster ratings, the huge social media impact and the overall buzz surrounding the series has meant the decision for another season was a very easy one.”

“Our producing partner at Matchbox Pictures produced a captivating series for our subscribers, and we are sure that the second season will be just as must-watch.”

The second series will start filming later this year. Matchbox Pictures and Foxtel will begin casting discussions shortly.