The Winners: MasterChef topped the numbers with 1.581 million, from Seven news with 1.397 million and Today Tonight with 1.285 million. Glee finished with a solid 1.231 million at 8pm, right after MasterChef. Nine New was 5th with 1.227 million and A Current Affair was 6th with 1.194 million. Sea Patrol was next with 1.132 million at 8.30pm and the 7pm repeat of Two and a Half Men averaged 1.117 million for Nine and 8th spot. The 7pm ABC News was 9th with 1.090 million and Getaway was 10th with 1.003 million for Nine at 7.30pm.

The Losers: Seven — not one program with a million viewers or more from 7pm. It’s the black hole that rejects viewers, not attracts and then eats.

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally and in every market but Melbourne. Today Tonight won but lost Melbourne and Sydney to ACA. The Ten News averaged 879,000. The late News/Sports Tonight, 228,000. Lateline, 315,000, 162,000 for Lateline Business. Nine’s Nightline, 268,000. SBS News at 6.30pm, 174,000 on SBS, 139,000 for the late edition. 7am Sunrise, 369,000, 7am Today, 337,000.

The Stats:

FTA: Nine won easily with 30.1%, from Seven with 24.6%, Ten with 22.3%, the ABC, 17.9% and SBS, 5.1%. Nine won Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide. Seven won Perth. Nine leads the week, 28.8% from Seven with 27.3%.

Main Channel: Nine won here as well with 25.2%, from Seven with 21.9%, Ten with 21.3%, ABC 1 with 15.1% and SBS ONE with 4.5%. Nine won Sydney and Melbourne, where Ten was second. Seven won Brisbane (Nine was second). Seven also won Adelaide and Perth, where Ten was second.

Digital: A big night. GO won with 4.9%, from 7TWO with 2.7%, ABC 2 with 2.2%, ONE on 0.9%, ABC 3 and SBS TWO, both with 0.6% each. That’s a total share of 11.9% for the six digital channels. Go leads the week with 3.1% from 7TWO with 2.6%. It was a big night for the digitals, in each of the five markets the six channels had more than a 10% share: in Adelaide it was a high 16.2%. Many of Nine’s viewers clearly didn’t want to watch the main channel last night.

Pay TV: Nine with 25.2% won with Seven on 20.6%, Ten on 18.6%, the ABC on 15.0%, Pay TV on 14.2% and SBS, 4.2%. That a total share of 85.8% for the 11 FTA channels and 14.2% for the 100 plus Pay TV channels.

Regional: A clear win for WIN/NBN with 30.1%, from Prime/7Qld with 24.7%, SC Ten with 21.1%, the ABC was on 17.9% and SBS, 6.2%. WIN/NBN won the main channels with 26.1%, from Prime/7Qld with 22.9%. GO won the digitals with 4.0%, from ABC 2 with 1.9% and 7TWO with 1.8%. WIN/NBN lead the week with 28.8%, from Seven with 27.4%.

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

Glenn Dyer’s comments:

Last night: A normal Thursday night. Not to many viewers interested. The Matty Johns Show in Sydney on Seven at 7.30pm, 261,000, The Nine NRL Footy Show at 9.30pm, 159,000. The Johns show in Brisbane, 134,000. The Nine show in Brisbane, 92,000, which would have been a real shock for Nine because the program was out of Brisbane last night. So much for home town interest.

Tony Abbot’s reply to the budget at 7.30pm on the ABC, 659,000 (707,000 for the budget itself). That’s about what The 7.30 Report might get for an average Thursday night program.

Thanks to MasterChef, Glee and The 7pm Project, Ten again won the main demos of 16 to 39, 18 to 49 and 25 to 54s.

TONIGHT: Sport: NRL and AFL on Nine (northern markets) and Seven (southern states). Waking The Dead on the ABC at 8.30pm. Rugby on Foxtel with NSW and the ACT playing for a spot in the finals. MasterChef on Ten, Better Homes and Gardens on Seven.

SATURDAY: More sport of the AFL/NRL kind on Ten and Foxtel. Some rugby on Foxtel. Midsomer Murders on the ABC at 9.20pm. AFL late on Ten. Movies on Ten. Nine and Seven. A night to snore , read a book or go out.

SUNDAY: Chats in the morning. More football during the day, Foyle’s War on the ABC at 8.30pm, MasterChef and The Good Wife on Ten, 60 Minutes on Nine. Sunday Night on Seven and Bones. Underbelly on Nine.

Viewing warning: There is a lot of Jessica Watson direct broadcasts tomorrow, specials on tomorrow night and on Sunday and all over 60 Minutes. You have been warned. It will be cliché piled on cliché piled on gush, piled on … And the News Ltd papers will be full of stuff tomorrow, especially Sunday and morning. You have been warned.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports