The Winners: Seven News averaged 1.535 million, Spicks and Specks was second with a high 1.508 million at 8.30pm for the ABC, World’s Strictest Parents averaged 1.499 million at 7.30pm for Seven and Today Tonight was 4th with 1.345 million. Home and Away averaged 1.240 million for Seven at 7pm and the 7pm repeat of Two and a Half Men for Nine averaged 1.202 million. Nine News was 7th with 1.162 million and 7th spot nationally, just ahead of A Current Affair with 1.127 million. The United States of Tara averaged 1.065 million at 9.30pm for the ABC and RPA averaged 1.053 million at 8.30pm for Nine. 11th was the returning first episode of The Librarians of its second series, which averaged 1.053 million at 9pm for the ABC. Criminal Minds averaged 1.042 million in repeat at 8.30pm for Seven and 13th was the 7pm ABC News with 1.030 million people. The fresh episode of The Simpsons averaged 960,000 for Ten at 7.30pm. Law And Order SVU at 8.30pm on Ten, 814,000.

The Losers: Australia’s Perfect Couple at 7.30pm on Nine: 672,000. Dead. Jamie Saves Our Bacon on Ten at 9.30pm, 543,000. Oink! Cold Case on Nine at 9.30pm, 877,000. Not as dead at Australia’s Perfect Couple, but not breathing well. My Name Is Earl, on Seven at 9.30pm; 679,000. Oink!

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally and in every market as did Today Tonight. Nine News (287,000) and ACA (257,000) again did poorly in Sydney with the 7pm ABC News (363,000) having more viewers than both and The 7.30 Report (271,000) ahead of ACA. The 7.30 Report averaged 929,000 nationally, Lateline, 272,000 and Lateline Business, 149,000. Ten News averaged 905,000, the late News/Sports Tonight averaged 345,000. Nine’s late News, 168,000. SBS News at 6.30pm, 198,000, the late News at 9.30pm, 244,000. 7am Sunrise, 385,000, 7am Today, 280,000.

The Stats: Seven won with a share in All people 6pm to midnight of 28.6% (unchanged from a week ago) Nine was second with 23.6% (24.4%), the ABC was third with 21.8% (22.4%), Ten was 4th with 19.4% (19.1%) and SBS was on 6.6% (5.5%). Seven won all five metro markets, including a narrow victory in Melbourne over Nine. Seven leads the week, 30.5% from Nine on 22.9% and Ten on 22.8%. In regional areas a win for Prime/7Qld with 26.7% with WIN/NBN on 26.1%, The ABC with 20.7%, Southern Cross (ten with 18.3% and SBS with 8.0%.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: The ABC showed Nine in particular, what 90 minutes of solid programming, with some risk taking, can do to ratings: they go up. So Spicks and Specks rates it’s socks off, the second series of The Librarians returns with solid figures and the United States of Tara held up above 1 million for episode two. It was enough to push the ABC into third on the night, relegating Ten to 4th for the second Wednesday in a row and just behind Nine. And that was the night.

TONIGHT: Getaway on Nine at 7.30pm and the Footy Show in Melbourne and other southern states. The NRL program in Sydney and Brisbane is a waste of time. Q&A on the ABC at 9.30pm is a highlight: it’s the “young viewer, sorry, voter, special”. Ten has The 7pm Project and perhaps Rush or Law and Order CI. Seven has Double Take and TV Burp, both under a bit of pressure. Inspector Rex on SBS at 7.35pm.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports