The Winners: MasterChef topped the night with 1.741 million viewers (And another special catering contest stunt). Seven News was second with 1.413 million people, Today Tonight was third with 1.333 million and Nine News was 4th with 1.291 million. A Current Affair was next with 1.154 million and the 7pm repeat of Two and a Half Men averaged 1.087 million viewers, just in front of the 7pm ABC News which finished a high 7th with 1.079 million people. Spicks & Specks on the ABC averaged 1.074 million at 8.30pm and the first episode of The Pacific on Seven at 8.30 pm averaged 1.061 million for 9th. 10th was Home and Away at 7pm with 1.036 million, with Hey Hey Its Saturday 11th with 1.034 million.

The Losers: Hey Hey in Adelaide and Perth. Unwanted and almost unwatched, just 78,000 and 79,000 respectively. Viewers there have the program just about right.

News & CA: Seven News and Today Tonight won nationally and everywhere but Melbourne where Nine News and ACA got up. Ten News averaged 836,000. The late News/Sports Tonight, 337,000. The 7.30 Report, 778,000, Lateline, 243,000, Lateline Business, 127,000. SBS News at 6.30pm, 211,000, the late edition, 177,000. Nine’s Nightline was pre-empted for a repeat of Underbelly, 299,000 from 10.30pm. 7am Sunrise, 403,000 (first time it has been over this for a while), 7am Today, 327,000.

The Stats:

FTA: Seven won with a share of 27.8%, from Nine with 26.7% and Ten with 24.9%. The ABC was on 16.2% and SBS, 4.5%. Nine won Melbourne because of Hey Hey, Seven won the rest. Nine leads the week with 28.5%, from Seven with 27.9%. Ten won all the major demos, 16 to 39s, 18 to 49s and 25 to 54s.

Main Channel: The same result here, Seven up nationally and everywhere bar Melbourne. but Nine finished third overall and in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth because viewers there aren’t interested in HHITS. Seven had a national share of 25.1%, with Ten on 24.3%, Nine on 24.0%, ABC 1 with 14.0% and SBS ONE with 4.1%.

Digital: GO and 7TWO tied with a share of 2.7% each. ABC 2 was next with 1.8%, ONE, 0.6%, ABC 3, 0.4% SBS TWO, 0.3%. The six FTA digital channels had a total share of 8.7%. GO leads the week with 2.7%, from 7TWO with 2.6%.

Pay TV: Seven won with 22.8%, with Nine on 22.0%, Ten on 20.4%, Pay TV, 15.4%, the ABC, 13.3% and SBS, 3.7%. The 11 FTA channels had a total share of 84.6%, pay TV’s 100 plus channels, 15.4%, as reported.

Regional: A win for Prime/7Qld with 29.1%, from WIN/NBN with 26.8%, SC Ten, 22.7%, the ABC, 15.8% and SBS, 5.5%. Prime/7Qld won the main channels with 27.3%, from WIN/NBN with 24.4%. GO won the digitals with 2.4%, from 7TWO with 1.9% and ABC 2 with 1.6%. WIN/NBN lead the week with 28.5%, from Prime/7Qld with 28.0%.

(All shares on the basis of combined overnight 6 pm to midnight All People)

Glenn Dyer’s comments: If Nine can find a way of justifying a second series of Hey Hey it’s Saturday, ever, after last night, then it is really delusional. Hey Hey is now a one market hit, Melbourne. 458,000 people watched there last night, around 40% of its national audience and second after MasterChef‘s hour. But Sydney and Brisbane are off it, Adelaide and Perth left it a couple of weeks ago (well under 100,000 in both markets last night).

Yes, MasterChef might be making it tough, but that’s TV competition.

TONIGHT: The black hole, bought to you by the Seven Network, and exclusive at 7.30pm in AFL markets and 8.30pm in NRL markets. SBS has Italian Food Safari and Costa’s Garden Odyssey. Nine has Getaway and Sea Patrol. The ABC has the real highlight, Tony Abbot’s budget reply speech at 7.30pm. Now will he manage to stay in front of Seven in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth? Ten has MasterChef and then Glee.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports