The Winners: Seven News was tops with 1.601 million with Today Tonight next with 1.459 million. MasterChef Australia averaged 1.399 million for Ten at 7pm and Getaway averaged 1.292 million at 7.30pm for Nine. A Current Affair was fifth with 1.286 million and Nine News was sixth with 1.223 million. Grey’s Anatomy averaged 1.220 million to win the 8.30pm slot for Seven and Ghost Whisperer averaged 1.218 million at 7.30pm for Seven. Nine’s 20 to 1 averaged 1.205 million for its final episode of the current series and Home and Away was 10th at 7pm with 1.136 million people. The 7pm repeat of Two and a Half Men averaged 1.089 million and Law and Order SVU at 8.30pm on Ten was 12th with 1.022 million. The Footy Shows fell out of the million list with 989,000, but 418,000 of those were in Melbourne which helped Nine win Melbourne clearly. Inspector Rex on SBS, 373,000, Mad Men at 8.30pm, 255,000.

The Losers: Nothing really stands out. the NRL Footy Show in Sydney was a weak 217,000.

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally and in every market but Brisbane where Nine News jumped to win by 3,000 viewers. (Bruce Paige’s farewell was revealed yesterday). Today Tonight won nationally, but lost Melbourne and Brisbane to ACA. The 7pm ABC News averaged 900,000, The 7.30 Report, 876,000. Lateline, 270,000, Lateline Business, 183,000. Ten’s News averaged 874,000, the Late News/Sports Tonight, 388,000. Nine’s Late News (with world coverage, shock, horror), averaged 4239,000 after the footy shows, with over half in Melbourne. It doesn’t show in Adelaide or Perth on the WIN stations. 6.30pm SBS News averaged 192,000, the 9.30pm edition, 150,000. 7am Sunrise, 396,000, 7am Today, 326,000.

The Stats: Nine won with a share of 29.7 (30.0% last week ) from Seven with 27.6% (26.8%), Ten with 22.2% (unchanged), the ABC with 15.0% (15.6%) and SBS with 5.4% (5.3%). Nine won Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane. Seven won Sydney (the NRL Footy Show not so hot) and Perth. Ten still leads the week, 27.2% from Seven with 26.9% and Nine with 25.4%. Will Ten hang on, or will Seven and Nine come through with the football tonight and leave it too close to call tomorrow night? In regional areas a win to WIN/NBN for Nine with 30.5% from Prime/7Qld with 26.1%, Southern Cross (Ten) with 21.2%, the ABC on 15.6% and SBS on 6.6%. Seven won 16 to 39 and 18 to 49 last night, a change from Ten’s dominance this week.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Another average night of TV, Nine won with the Footy Shows (or rather the AFL Footy Show in Melbourne having a clear win). The rest of the night was fairly tame. Seven’s female skewing line up did well for a change, especially Ghost Whisperer and Grey’s Anatomy Even Private Practice at 9.30pm perked up. Ten faded from its strong Monday to Wednesday, but is leading strong in the major demos.

A highlight was Mark Riley’s scoop on the Seven News at 6pm about a man working for Opposition frontbencher, Sophie Mirabella who was forced to quit after Seven confronted him and Ms Mirabella with claims of sexual harassment at the mid-Winter ball in Parliament House on Wednesday night. The story was picked up around 2.30pm and turned around for the 6pm News (including the confrontation in Ms Mirabella’s office). Good old fashioned legwork.

A Current Affair and Today Tonight were forgettable after that. Inspector Rex was his usual polished self and Mad Men continues to annoy, but fascinate me.

TONIGHT: football of the NRL and AFL kind. Better Homes and Gardens, Silent Witness, MasterChef Australia and that’s that.

TOMORROW NIGHT: the highlight will be for those with Fox Sports (on Foxtel or Austar or in a pub and club). Watch France play the All Blacks in the second test from Wellington. If the Froggies win, it will be two zip to them and a year of national mourning for the folk who like under the Long White Shroud. Australia plays Italy from Melbourne on Seven after 7pm. (The Frogs next weekend). Ten has some AFL, Foxtel NRL. There are movies on Seven and Nine as well, and New Tricks is still new on the ABC at 7.30 pm. The Swans play the Wobbles on Ten in Sydney.

SUNDAY NIGHT: From their promos, 60 Minutes and Sunday Night (On Nine and Seven respectively) should be avoided. You won’t learn anything. MasterChef will teach you something. Nine also has the fading CSI, but the ABC returns Miss Marple (Or Marple as she is known, like Poirot. Emphatic). Rove on Ten is also worth a look, Bones on Seven.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports