The Winners: Customs, Nine, 8pm, was tops with 1.275 million (That tells us how weak the rest of the night was to viewers). Seven News was second with 1.213 million and the 7.30pm episode of Two and a Half Men was 3rd with 1.138 million. Criminal Minds won the 8.30pm slot for Seven with 1.094 million and Nine News was 5th with 1.092 million. A Current Affair was 6th with 1.088 million and beat Today Tonight which finished with 1.087 million people (close, but a win is a win). RSPCA Animal Rescue was 8th with 1.075 million and Spicks and Specks averaged 1.036 million for the ABC at 8.30pm.

The Losers: Well, The New Inventors, 565,000. Not flash. The 7 PM Project, 593,000. Not as strong as recently. Nine’s Hot Seat got beaten by Seven’s Deal, 535,0000 to 521,000. Deal‘s audience is down 200,000 to 300,000 some nights on a year ago. Home and Away, 924,000, the first time under a million this ratings period. It has faded this week. The half hour of The Biggest Loser from 7.30pm, 703,000.

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally but lost Sydney to Nine. Seven News in that market averaged a weak 268,000, Nine, an average 331,000. In Melbourne a similar result but Seven led Nine, 361,000 to 298,000. Nine News won Brisbane for another night. Seven won Adelaide and Perth. ACA beat TT nationally and in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. TT won Adelaide and Perth. Sydney was very weak for TT. Ten News averaged 755,000, the late News/Sports Tonight, 208,000. The 7pm ABC News averaged 944,000 nationally. In Sydney it had more viewers (261,000) than ACA (245,000). In Melbourne the 7pm ABC News had more viewers (306,000), than Nine News (298,000). The 7.30 Report averaged 701,000. Lateline, 204,000, Lateline Business, 114,000. SBS News at 6.30pm, 150,000, 142,000 for the late edition. Sunrise vs. Today, see below in comments.

The Stats:

FTA: Nine won 6pm to midnight All People with a combined overnight share of 30.0%, from Seven with 28.8%, Ten on 19.8%, the ABC with 17.2% and SBS with 4.1%. Nine won Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide. Seven won Perth. Nine leads the week with a combined overnight share of 30.6% to Seven’s 29.4%.

Digitally: Nine’s GO won with 3.2%, from 7TWO with 2.6%, ABC 2 with 2.2%, Ten’s ONE with 0.9%, ABC 3 with 0.5% and SBS TWO with 0.4%. The digital channels had a total share of 9.8%. GO leads the week with a share of 3.1% from 7TWO with 2.7%.

Main Channels: Nine won with 26.8% from Seven on 26.3%, Ten with 19.8%, the ABC with 14.5% and SBS on 3.7%. Nine leads the week, 27.5% to Seven’s 26.7%.

Pay TV: Nine had a combined overnight share of 24.3%, Seven, 23.4%, Pay TV, 16.3%, Ten, 16.1%, the ABC, 14.0% and SBS, 3.4%. The 11 FTA channels had a combined overnight share of 83.7%, Pay TV, 16.3% for its 100 plus channels.

Regional: A different result with Prime/7Qld winning All people 6 pm to midnight with a combined overnight share of 31.1%, from WIN/NBN with 27.0%, Southern Cross (Ten) with 18.8%, the ABC on 17.8% and SBS, 5.2%.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Nine won a close night, but Seven’s News is in trouble in Sydney. Viewers do not seem to be taking to Chris Bath. For yet another night Nine’s News with Peter Overton clearly beat Seven in Sydney with Ms Bath. Perhaps it’s a rogue ratings panel (they were changed late last year to allow the start of the new rating system which can track overnight and seven day recording, as well as live viewing across the country), perhaps not. The most logical explanation is that it will take more time to get Ms Bath and Sydney TV news viewers comfortable with each other.

Today Tonight isn’t healthy either against ACA. Sydney is a real problem for Seven now, the audiences across the night seem weaker than a year ago. It might be the new digital channels are bleeding viewers, but Nine’s GO is also in business. Nine’s audiences are down on a year ago because 12 months ago Underbelly 2 was screening. Look at the News and TT and Seven is weaker than it was.

Seven had a small victory yesterday, Sunrise (368,000) had more viewers than Today (337,000), despite Nine’s live games updates and crosses. It’s only one morning, but Today is on when things are starting to get interesting at the Games (and after 9am especially, given the time difference with Vancouver).

The 810,000 viewers for the 9.30pm session last night was the lowest audience so far for the nightly coverage. Cold Case with 792,000 from 8.30 pm hurt the size of the Games audience. The morning coverage from 9 am to 12 noon averaged 297,000, down as well. No success, no interest. Next week will be a real grind for Nine if there’s no more medals for Australia. Today’s day coverage is 9am to 3.30pm.

TONIGHT: Highlights: Getaway on Nine, and the Games coverage, if you are desperate. The ABC has not very much. Seven has not very much as well; Cougar Town if you are desperate. Ten has So You Think You Can Dance and Law And Order SVU. A below par night tonight.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports