The Winners: Seven News was the top program with 1.286 million, from Today Tonight with 1.212 million and Nine’s Customs at 8pm with 1.144 million in 3rd spot. RSPCA Animal Rescue averaged 1.084 million at 7.30pm and Nine News was 5th with 1.079 million people. Spicks and Specks averaged 1.077 million at 8.30pm for the ABC and 7th was the 7.30pm repeat of Two and a Half Men with 1.050 million for Nine. RPA was 8th with 1.050 million for Nine at 8.30pm. Crash Investigation Unit averaged 1.025 million at 8pm for Seven and 10th was A Current Affair with 1.021 million people. Criminal Minds at 8.30pm averaged 956,000 for Seven, Home and Away, 946,000, the 7pm repeat of Two and a Half Men, 932,000 and So You Think You Can Dance Australia on Ten at 8pm, 815,000. That was Ten’s highest rated program last night. The AFL Footy Show on Nine at 9.30pm, 495,000, 344,000 in Melbourne

The Losers: It’s near Easter, the networks want to have a break (as do we all). So no losers last night! We are all winners from this afternoon: buns, eggs and BBQ’s, a book plus some footy!

News & CA: Seven News lost Sydney and Melbourne to Nine, but won Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Today Tonight lost Sydney by quite a few to ACA, but won Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Ten News averaged 770,000, the late News/Sports Tonight, 263,000. The 7pm ABC News averaged 980,000. In Sydney the ABC News averaged 303,000 and beat Seven (276,000) behind Nine with 339,000. The 7.30 Report averaged 681,000. Lateline, 221,000, Lateline Business, 114,000. SBS News  at 6.30pm, 184,000, 164,000 for the late edition. 7am Sunrise, 385,000, 7am Today, 285,000, an unusually large margin for Sunrise given the recent closeness between the two programs.

The Stats:

FTA: Nine won with a combined overnight 6pm to midnight All People share of 30.0%, from Seven with 28.8%, Ten on 19.2%, the ABC with 17.7% and SBS with 4.3%. Nine won Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. Seven won Brisbane and Perth. Nine leads the week, 29.0% to 27.9% for Seven.

Main Channel: Also a win for Nine with a combined overnight All People 6pm to midnight share of 27.3%, from Seven with 26.5%, Ten with 17.5%, ABC 1 with 15.2% and SBS ONE with 3.9%. Nine won Sydney and Melbourne. Seven won Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Nine leads the week 25.8% from Seven with 25.0%.

Digital: GO won with a combined overnight All People 6pm to midnight share of 2.7%, from 7TWO with 2.3%, ABC 2 with 2.1%, ONE on 1.7% and SBS TWO and ABC 3 with 0.4% each. That’s a total share for the six FTA digital channels of 9.6%. GO leads the week with a share of 3.1% to 7TWO with 2.9%.

Pay TV: Nine won with a combined overnight All People 6pm to midnight share of 24.2%, with Seven on 23.2%, Pay TV, 16.8%, Ten with 15.5%, the ABC with 14.3% and SBS on 3.4%. The 11 FTA channels had a total share of 83.2%, Pay TV’s 100 plus channels had a total share of 16.8%.

Regional: Prime/7Qld won the night with a combined overnight 6 pm to midnight All People share of 30.8%, from WIN/NBN with 29.4%, the ABC with 18.3%, SC Ten with 16.8% and SBS, 4.8%. Prime/7Qld won the main channels with a share of 29.2% from WIN/NBN with 27.5%. The digital race was won by ABC 2 with a 2.3% share, from GO with 1.9% and 7TWO and ONE with 1.2% each.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: A weak night. A special mention for the bright spark on Spicks and Specks who got Marina Prior in to sing Greensleeves, accompanied by a Mr Whippy type ice cream van. Classic and a contender for a 2010 best of award.

TONIGHT: There’s AFL on Seven (And The Bounce in southern markets, will you watch?). Italian Food Safari and Costa’s Garden Odyssey on SBS. For NRL fans,  The Matty Johns Show on Seven in northern markets (the AFL in the south) and the Nine NRL Footy Show. There’s also Getaway and the repeat of The Mentalist on Nine.

FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY, MONDAY: There’s lots of football (NRL, AFL), the odd cricket match and not much else. Have a barbie, dinner, fish and chips, eat several buns, eggs/rabbits (and where is the Easter Bilby, gone like the Democrats?), good food, see friends. In other words, ignore the box and get out.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports