The Winners: Seven News was tops with 1.670 million, from Today Tonight with 1.628 million and the fresh episode of Two And A Half Men on 1.521 million at 7.30pm for Nine. That was followed in 4th place by the 7pm repeat of Two and a Half Men with 1.345 million. The returning first episode of City Homicide averaged 1.321 million at 7.30pm for Seven and Home and Away was 6th with 1.286 million people. The one off look at Barack Obama’s Air Force One averaged 1.261 million for Seven at 7.30pm and Nine News was 8th with 1.237 million, just in front of A Current Affair with 1.231 million people. Australian Story averaged a very solid 1.204 million. The 9.30pm episode of City Homicide averaged 1.142 million for Seven and 11th spot, while the second episode of Farmer wants a Wife on Nine at 8.30pm averaged 1.125 million. 13th was the 7pm ABC News with 1.114 million and Good News Week on Ten around 8.30pm averaged 1.004 million for the last slot in the most watched millionaires list.

The Losers: Farmer wants a Wife averaged a solid 1.125 million, but there’s a slightly tacky feel to the program. After three series, it is still the same, everyone knows their roles, what they have to say, where they have to stand, how they are going to act on camera. In short it’s lost its freshness and is looking like any other TV dating show, which I suppose it always has been.

Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader, 914,000 at 7.30pm on Ten. It’s still what it always was, contrived. I think the audience is getting on to that fact a bit earlier in this series than in previous ones. Drop Dead Diva on Nine at 9.30pm, 582,000 in only Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. The WIN stations in Adelaide and Perth showed a repeat of The Mentalist.

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally and in every market but Melbourne. Today Tonight won everywhere and nationally. The 7pm ABC News in Sydney with 363,000 viewers had more viewers than either Nine News with 321,000 and ACA with 316,000 in the city. Seven News was clearly on top with 451,000. The 7.30 Report averages 882,000 and Kerry’s interview with Opposition leader, Malcolm Turnbull was great theatre. Lateline averaged 268,000, Lateline Business, 138,000. Ten News averaged 960,000, the late News/Sports Tonight, 241,000. SBS News at 6.30pm, 196,000, the 9.30pm edition, 158,000. 7am Sunrise, 430,000, 7am Today, 335,000.

The Stats: Seven won with a 6pm to midnight All People share of 29.7% (30.1% a week ago), from Nine with 26.2% (27.4%), Ten on 19.7% (19.5%), the ABC with 18.3% (17.5%) and SBS with 6.0% (unchanged). Seven won everywhere bar Melbourne, where Nine got up thanks to Two and a Half Men from 7pm to 8pm. Seven leads the week 27.5% to Nine on 25.5%. Ten is on 22.2%, but will finish third. In regional areas Prime/7Qld won with 28.4% from WIN/NBN with 27.8%, Southern Cross (Ten) with 19.7%, the ABC was on 17.0% and SBS was on 7.1%.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Didn’t anyone at SBS remember to recode its evening line up or tell OzTAM of the new programs now that the Fourth Ashes Test had finished earlier?

Interestingly, apart from Seven News in Sydney with 451,000 and TT with 452,000, the only other program over 400,000 viewers in the city last night was the good report on Australian Story, which averaged 436,000.

TONIGHT: The three episodes of Two and a Half Men won’t do anywhere near as well as they did last night. Seven has Packed To The Rafters, SBS starts repeating the doco, Wall Street Meltdown. Ten has Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation. The ABC has Foreign Correspondent at 8pm and the Tony Robinson series On Crime and Punishment starting at 8.30pm.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports