The Winners: Two and a Half Men was tops at 7.30pm with 1.462 million viewers, followed by Seven News with 1.365 million people. Today Tonight was 3rd with 1.248 million and Nine’s Big Bang Theory at 8pm averaged 1.239 million people. The Mentalist at 8.30pm was also a winner for Nine with 1.210 million and Seven’s Highway Patrol at 7.30pm averaged 1.209 million for 6th. The 7pm repeat of Two and a Half Men averaged 1.168 million people and A Current Affair was 8th with 1.114 million viewers. Seven’s Criminal Minds won the 9.30pm slot with 1.110 million people and the 8pm program on Seven, Destroyed In Seconds, averaged 1.102 million. 11th was Home and Away with 1.098 million, with Nine News 12th with 1.084 million. Seven’s 8.30pm program, FlashForward, averaged 1.079 million viewers. Elders with Andrew Denton averaged 968,000 at 8pm on the ABC, Good News Week on Ten from 8.30pm, 901,000 people.

The Losers: The Apprentice Australia at 9.30pm on Nine, 793,000. The Top Gear Winter Olympics special on SBS at 7.30pm, 680,000. Jamie Oliver’s American Road Trip, Ten, 7.30pm, 645,000.

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally and in every market. ACA beat TT in Melbourne and Sydney, but lost Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth and nationally. The 7 pm ABC News averaged 957,000, the 7.30 Report, 673,000. Lateline, 213,000; Lateline Business, 105,000. Ten News At Five, 770,000, The Late News/Sports Tonight, 214,000. 6.30 pm World News Australia on SBS, 171,000, 186,000 for the 9.30 pm edition. 7 am Sunrise, 399,000, 7 am Today, 318,000.

The Stats: Nine won with a combined all people 6pm to Midnight share of 30.0% (29.0%), from Seven with 29.1% (28.4%), Ten on 18.3% (18.7%), the ABC with 14.6% (15.6%) and SBS with 7.9% (8.4%). Nine won Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Seven won Adelaide and Perth. Seven leads the week, 31.9% to 28.3%.

In regional areas a win to WIN/NBN with 27.8% from Prime/7Qld with 27.5%, Southern Cross (Ten) with 18.3%, the ABC with 16.8% and SBS with 9.6%.

Digitally: Nine’s Go won with 1.70% (Nine’s main channel was on 28.3% and won), from 7TWO with 1.60% (Seven’s main channel with 27.50%), ABC 1 with 1.50% (ABC 1 with 13.10%), Ten’s ONE with 1.10% (17.30%) and SBS TWO with 0.50%, and SBS ONE on 7.40%. All up the digital networks had a share of 6.4%.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Nine won both digital and analogue last night. The real winner was the Melbourne TV audience and their love affair with Two and a Half Men: 454,000 watched the 7.30pm episode on Nine last night in the Deep South, 361,000 watched the 7pm repeat. The audience for the 7.30pm episode in Melbourne was the highest in any market in the country.

Melbourne might have added Tiger Woods to its self declared list of coups (for self-validation), but how does the city’s cheer squad justify such an enduring love affair for one of the crassest programs on TV? Two and a Half Men sort of goes with AFL stars playing up and being sexist at post-Brownlow functions (or NRL players on a cultural night out, it must be said).

Last night wasn’t very interesting at all. Andrew Denton’s Elders was OK. Apart from that it was a night to avoid.

TONIGHT: Two and a Half Men in repeat on Nine (for Melbourne viewers, only one episode tonight), but they can stay up late to 9.30pm to watch the final of that other crass program, Aussie Ladette to Lady. Seven has an impending birth on Packed To The Rafters. Do I feel a house move over the summer coming on? EastWest 101 on SBS, also at 8.30pm. NCIS is a final tonight on Ten at 8.30pm. Jailbirds on the ABC at 8pm. Watch and appreciate it.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports