The Winners: Seven News was tops with 1.674 million. Ten’s new program Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation was second with 1.599 million and Today Tonight was third with 1.517 million. NCIS was 4th at 8.30pm for Ten with 1.435 million. Seven’s The Zoo returned at 7.30pm with 1.431 million and Find My Family was 6th with 1.320 million at 8pm. A Current Affair was 7th with 1.270 million and MasterChef Australia averaged 1.252 million at 7pm. The Two and a Half Men episode at 8.30pm on Nine averaged 1.217, million and Home and Away was 10th at 7 pm for Seven with 1.213 million. Nine News was 11th with 1.204 million and the 7pm repeat of Two and a Half Men averaged 1.154 million for Nine. The 7pm ABC News averaged 1.146 million. Seven’s All Saints was weak at 8.30pm with 1.144 million and 15th was the Budget speech at 7.30pm for the ABC with 1.141 million. The 9pm repeat of Two and a Half Men averaged 1.125 million and the second part of the ABC’s budget coverage from 8pm averaged 1.069 million in 17th spot. Hot Seat averaged 610,000 on the ABC at 5.30pm, well behind Deal or No Deal on Seven with 895,000 and Ten News with 941,000.

The Losers: Ten’s Lie To Me with 986,000 viewers beat Seven’s 10 Years Younger at 9.30pm last night, with 973,000. Now that’s not quite loser class, but 10 Years Younger was a loser because it had started so strong. It’s down around 400,000 viewers from its debut. Nine’s 9.30pm program, Underbelly Uncut. Even though it’s not running in Melbourne that would not have lifted it much from its 420,000 viewers. Another 200,000 or so viewers might have made it 620,000 to 700,000. Why Nine is running a tired reworked repeat at 9.30pm shows how empty its programming vault must be.

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally and in every market but Today Tonight lost Melbourne to ACA. Lateline on the ABC averaged 271,000 (no budget boost there) and Lateline Business averaged 202,000 (some Budget boost there). Nine’s late News at 10.30pm was an hour early to look at the Budget. It averaged a sound 396,000. Ten’s late News averaged 334,000 with Sports Tonight, so a win to Nine. SBS News at 6.30pm, 1277,000, 196,000 for the 9.30pm edition. Insight at 7.30pm 243,000, a good figure against the budget on the ABC. 7am Sunrise, 359,000, 7am Today, 307,000 (and a win over Sunrise in Melbourne).

The Stats: Seven won All People 6pm to Midnight (and 10.30pm) with 28.4% (29.7%) from Ten with 27.6% (29.5%), Nine was third with 22.5% (23.0%), the ABC was on 17.0% (13.6%) and SBS was on 4.4%. Seven won Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Ten won Adelaide and Perth. Seven won All People, Ten won 16 to 39, 18 to 49 and 25 to 54. Seven leads the week, 29.4% from Ten with 25.7% and Nine on 24.1%. In regional markets a win for Prime/7Qld with 30.5%, from Southern Cross (Ten) with 24.5%; WIN/NBN with 23.0%, the ABC with 16.8% and SBS with 5.2%.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Australians found Wayne Swan and then Kerry O’Brien and his brief cast of experts and interviewees far more entertaining that Nine’s Home Made.. Wayne Swan averaged 1.14 million and the summary and discussion (which started late because Wayne rang about eight minutes over), averaged 1.069 million. The Home Made elimination on Nine at 7.30pm to 8.30pm averaged 889,000. Now Kerry O’Brien wouldn’t average 1.14 million normally for The 7.30 Report, so there were some viewers missing from Nine at the ABC for the hour. But it’s not a good look, especially as it’s the second most heavily promoted program on Nine this year after the second season of Underbelly.

TONIGHT: The ABC with Spicks and Specks and The Gruen Transfer and The 7.30 Report for more post budget wraps. Ten with House (for those who still like it) and MasterChef. Nine with RPA, What’s Good For You, The Mentalist and Cold Case. Seven with Thank God You’re Here, Criminal Minds and My Name Is Earl. The Cook and The Chef on the ABC at 6.30pm and Food Safari in repeat at 7.30 on SBS.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports