The Winners: Today Tonight was the most watched program with 1.178 million with Seven News next with 1.175 million, and ahead of Nine News with 1.091 million. Cougar Town hung onto a million viewers for Seven at 8.30pm and the Winter Games 9.30pm coverage on Nine averaged 1.007 million, the second night in a row the viewership has been above a million. Law And Order SVU averaged 874,000 on Ten at 7.30pm. Seven’s How I Met Your Mother averaged 913,000 at 9pm. It and Cougar Town gave Seven a win in the 8.30pm to 9.30pm timeslot. The results episode of So You Think You Can Dance Australia, 816,000 for Ten.

The Losers: Another weak night. If the gold medal hadn’t come yesterday afternoon, the games probably wouldn’t topped the million viewer mark further reducing the number of programs with a million viewers or more.

Getaway, 917,000 for Nine at 7.30pm. Not a loser, but marking time, hopefully. Adults Only 20 to 1 on Nine at 8.30pm, 764,000. That’s what it deserved. Nine has been milking the cow for too long. The 8.30pm doco on the ABC, Whatever happened to Brenda Hean? Only 396,000 viewers bothered to wonder.

The White Room left town and was replaced by Seven in the 7.30pm slot with Ghost Whisperer which averaged 761,000. The next time someone comes to Seven and they have a great idea for a program using TV clips, they should be made to walk the plank.

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally and in every market but Sydney and Brisbane. Nine will win Sydney for a second week in a row this week. Today Tonight had a stronger night, winning nationally and in all five markets and reversing the earlier weakness in Sydney and Melbourne. The 7pm ABC News averaged 884,000, The 7.30 Report, 648,000. Lateline, 227,000, Lateline Business, 114,000. Ten News 791,000, 276,000 for the late News/Sports Tonight. SBS News at 6.30pm, 155,000, 106,000 for the late edition. 7am Today ahead again, 367,000. 323,000 for Sunrise.

The Stats:

FTA: Nine won with a 6pm to midnight All People combined overnight share of 30.6^ from Seven with 27.0%, Ten on 22.0%,m the ABC on 16.0% and SBS on 4.5%. Seven won Perth, Nine won the rest. Nine leads the week with a combined overnight share of 30.9% to Seven’s 27.6%.

Digital: GO won with a combined overnight share of 3.5%, with 7TWO next with 2.8%, ABC 2 on 1.6%, ONE with 1.4% and ABC 3 and SBS TWO with 0.50%. That’s a total share of 10.4% last night, which tells us something about the dearth of material on the main channels. GO leads the week with 3.3% from 7TWO with 2.80%.

Main Channel: Nine won a combined overnight share of 27.0%, from Seven with 24.2%, Ten on 20.6%, the ABC on 13.9% and SBS with 4.1%. Nine leads the week with a combined overnight share of 27.6% to Seven’s 25.4%.

Pay TV: Nine won with a combined overnight share of 24.6%, with Seven on 21.7%, Ten on 17.7%, Pay TV, 17.1% (the week’s high so far), the ABC with 12.8% and SBS with 3.7%. the 11 FTA channels had a share of 82.9%, Pay TV had its 17.1% share for its 100 plus channels.

Regional: WIN/NBN won an All People, 6 pm to Midnight All People share with 29.5%, from Prime/7Qld with 26.6%, Southern Cross (Ten) with 19.8%, the ABC with 18.7% and SBS with 5.4%. The digital channels were less popular in regional areas. GO won with 2.5%, from 7TWO with 1.8% and ABC 2, 1.4%.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Another gold medal, another million plus audience for the winter games on Nine from 9.30pm. And no Eddie McGuire in the chair. Seven though won 16 to 39s and 18 to 49’s. Nine won the rest.

What was interesting was the fact that the gold medal didn’t cause any bounce for Nine News last night. But Nine still won Sydney, 304,000 top 271,000.

TONIGHT: Silent Witness on the ABC at 8.30pm; Better Homes and Gardens on Seven at 7.30pm, the Winter Games on Nine at 9.30pm.

SATURDAY: Blue Murder on the ABC after 9pm (it’s a repeat), the Winter Games on Nine. Seven’s movie at 6.30pm is an oldie, Sister Act.

SUNDAY: The morning talkies if your are bent in that fashion. Sunday Night on Seven at 6.30pm. 60 Minutes returns full of floss at 7.30pm on Nine. The Maria Korp telemovie at 8.30pm. The Good Wife at 8.30pm on Ten, after Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation at 7.30pm.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports