[1] The first season of The Block began airing on 1 June 2003 on the Nine Network, replacing Backyard Blitz and Location Location in the network's flagship timeslot[2] of Sunday at 6:30 to 7:30 pm (AEST).

[3] The series was presented by Backyard Blitz host Jamie Durie and filmed in Bondi, with the majority of filming being completed prior to the series airing for editing purposes.

[3] Selected from approximately 2,000 applicants,[3] the four couples in the series were: The combined auction profits were $443,000.

The first season was a ratings success with an average nightly reviewership of 2.239 million.

[12] The Grand Finale of the season had a viewership of 3.115 million viewers.