A marathon day of television, familiar faces and plenty of heart has delivered a record result for one of Australia’s longest running telethons.
Seven’s Good Friday Appeal coverage once again proved its pulling power, rallying viewers and the industry alike for a cause that continues to resonate.
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The Seven Network’s broadcast of the 2026Good Friday Appeal on Seven Melbourne and streamed live nationally on 7plus struck a chord with Victorians, raising a record-breaking $25,268,485 for The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.
Now in its 95th year, the Good Friday Appeal enables The Royal Children’s Hospital to provide world class care for children. The money raised goes to ground-breaking research; state-of-the-art equipment and technology; patient and family-centred care programs; and fostering staff excellence through education programs, scholarships and fellowships to attract and retain the brightest minds.
The 2026 Appeal also raised funds for a range of important projects including the GEMStone study, which is a project conducting state-of-the-art genomic testing to address genetic conditions, which are the leading cause of death in children in high-income countries.
This year marked the Good Friday Appeal’s 69th year on Seven. The much-loved event featuredThe Chase Australia’s Larry Emdur and Better Homes and Gardens’ Johanna Griggs as hosts, plus Sunrise’s Natalie Barr, Matt Shirvington, Sam Mac and Katie Brown, Home and Away’s Emily Weir and Kyle Shilling, The Morning Show’s Kylie Gillies, 7SPORT’s Hamish McLachlan and Abbey Holmes, My Reno Rules’ Dr Chris Brown, and 7NEWS Melbourne’s Peter Mitchell, Jane Bunn, Mike Amor, Rebecca Maddern, Karina Carvalho and Theo Doropoulos, and 101.9 The Fox’s Fifi Box, Brendan “Fev” Fevola and Nick Cody.
SCA’s The Fox and 105.1 Triple M Melbourne supported the Good Friday Appeal throughout the day with dedicated programming, helping to amplify the incredible work of The Royal Children’s Hospital.
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Seven broadcast the Good Friday Appeal from 10.00am to midnight, capturing all the excitement from Kids Day Out and the AFL SuperClash and culminating in a live, prime time show from 7.00pm from the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The night’s entertainment included illusionist Cosentino; comedy trio Sooshi Mango; Cirque du Soleil, with an act from their highly anticipated show Kooza; The Voice Australia’s Ronan Keating, who performed Life is a Rollercoaster; much-loved Australian entertainer Rob Mills; and WILSN, before a deeply moving performance of John Farnham’s Angels by Michael Paynter, accompanied by images of hospital patients on screen.
Seven’s Victorian Managing Director and Sales Director, Peter Charles, said:
“The Seven Network is incredibly proud to support the Good Friday Appeal, an event that is close to the hearts of all Victorians.”
“The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne offers world-class care to sick children and it is humbling to see how the community, volunteers and businesses alike have supported this year’s Good Friday Appeal to reach this incredible result.
“There was an incredible line up of talent and entertainment, and it was a privilege to celebrate Seven’s 69th year of broadcasting the telethon, back in its rightful home at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre for the first time in six years.” he said.
While the Good Friday Appeal 2026 has come to a close, donations can still be made atwww.goodfridayappeal.com.au/donate.
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