The Winners: Seven News was tops with 1.290 million, from Today Tonight with 1.166 million, Getaway on Nine at 7.30pm with 1.106 million. 4th was CSI with 1.037 million at 8.30pm on Nine, and the 7pm ABC News was a high 5th with 1.024 million. Home and Away won the 7pm battle narrowly with 1.017 million, from Nine’s repeat of Two and a Half Men with 1.014 million. 8th was Seven’s 8.30pm program, Beauty and The Geek averaged 1.008 million (that was 1.008 million viewers too many). Ghost Whisperer on Seven at 7.30pm with 962,000, beat Ten’s Glee with 801,000. Seven’s The Amazing Race with 930,000, won the 9.30pm slot clearly. Burn Notice on Ten was second with 883,000. The second episode of Addicted To Money averaged 718,000 on the ABC at 8.30pm.

The Losers: Fergie: Duchess on A Mission on Nine at 9.30pm: 509,000. A very distant fourth. (The ABC’s doco on The Secrets of the Freemasons beat Fergie). That probably cost Nine a closer finish, perhaps a narrow win on the night. After all, Nine had won 7.30pm to 9.30pm after a very poor 6pm to 7pm. Why didn’t Nine cut together’ Tiger’s round yesterday, promote it with interviews etc and run it there? That would have been a far more daring programming gambit than Fergie.

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally and in every market. Today Tonight won everywhere bar Melbourne where ACA moved back to its top position in the slot. The 7.30 Report averaged 775,000 viewers, Lateline, 308,000, Lateline Business, 171,000. Ten News averaged, 796,000, the late News/Sports Tonight, 392,000. The SBS News at 6.30pm, 185,000, the 9.30pm edition, 116,000. 7am Sunrise, 368,000, 7am Today, 313,000.

The Stats: Seven won 6pm to midnight All People with a combined share of 29.5% (28.4% a week go), from Nine with 26.5% (29.1%), Ten on 21.2% (20.6%), the ABC with 18.3% (17.4%) and SBS with 4.5% (4.8%). Seven won all five metro markets: Melbourne was slim, 20.1% for Seven, 20.0% for Nine. Seven leads the week with 30.8% from Nine on 26.7%.

In regional areas, WIN/NBN was on 28.2%, from Prime/7Qld with 26.1%, Southern Cross (Ten) with 21.9%, the ABC on 17.7%.

Digitally: Nine’s Go won with 2.40% (Nine main channel, 24.10%), from 7TWO on 2.10% (Seven’s main channel, 27.40%), ABC 2 with 1.70% (ABC 1 on 16.70%); Ten’s ONE on 1.40% (Ten’s main channel on 19.80%); SBS TWO with 0.30%, SBS ONE with 4.20%.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Another surprisingly strong win for Seven over a weaker than expected Nine. Nine News and ACA were both under a million viewers. Both are very weak in Sydney, stronger in Melbourne (where Nine has been stronger than Seven for much of the year). TT lost over 50,000 viewers in Sydney from the 6pm Seven News, but still beat ACA by 39,000.

It is no use Nine news executives moaning and groaning and pointing to the way Seven’s Today Tonight weakens (which it does some times), But ACA and Nine News are on the nose with viewers in Sydney and Brisbane. Nine News in Sydney lost by 90,000 to Seven news at 6 pm last night, while the later 7pm ABC News had 102,000 more viewers than Nine’s News (the 7pm ABC News beat Nine convincingly nationally, thanks to its big win in Sydney).

The 7pm ABC News actually won the 7pm slot nationally, beating out Home and Away and the repeat of Two and a Half Men.

Nine’s News’ current weakness isn’t helping ACA in Sydney, it must be said.

The FTA digital channels accounted for more than 7% of the prime time audience last night.

TONIGHT: There is just nothing on. Better Homes and Gardens, then … nothing. Midsomer Murders on the ABC if you are desperate for some near static TV. Mega movie repeats, Harry Potter on Nine and Night at the Museum on Ten. And lots of other movies.

TOMORROW: Don’t forget to record Tiger, if you are of a mind to, there’s nothing on TV tonight except perhaps the still subtitle-free Taggart on the ABC at 9.20pm. Lots of movies, the odd repeat and Funniest Home Videos on Nine at 6.30pm

SUNDAY: The Tiger victory round. Sunday Night on Seven at 6.30pm, 60 minutes on Nine at 7.30pm, still battling. Nine has a movie at 8.30pm, so it’s out of the running; Seven has a fresh Bones, the ABC has a Miss Austen related drama. Ten has the faltering Australian Idol, then the final Rove. SBS has Dateline, also still on air.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports