The Winners: Modern Family started on Ten last night at 8pm with a bang: 1.549 million people. MasterChef Australia was eclipsed at 7.30pm with 1.539 million, while NCIS was third at 8.30pm with 1.489 million. Seven News was next with 1.474 million, with Today Tonight third with 1.436 million people. Australia’s Got Talent averaged 1.422 million for Seven for 90 minutes from 7.30pm. Nine News was 7th with 1.275 million and A Current Affair was next with 1.240 million. The 7pm repeat of Two and a Half Men averaged 1.128 million. The Top Gear episode averaged 1.102 million and the 7pm ABC News was next with 1.081 million. That was the same audience for Seven’s Home and Away, also at 7pm.

The Losers: Nine last night, even though it was a bit better than Seven on Monday night after 7pm.

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally, but lost Sydney by 1,000, 387,000 for Nine News, to 386,000 for Seven. Today Tonight lost Melbourne, but won everywhere else. Ten News averaged 911,000, the late News/Sports Tonight, 411,000. The 7.30 Report, 789,000, Lateline, 224,000, Lateline Business, 115,000. Nine’s Nightline, 140,000. SBS News at 6.30pm, 181,000, 187,000 for the late edition. Insight at 7.30pm, 209,000. 7am Sunrise, 370,000, 7am Today, 333,000.

The Stats:

FTA: Seven won with a share of 28.5% from Ten with 25.9%, Nine with 24.7%, the ABC with 15.6% and SBS with 5.3%. Seven won Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. Nine won Melbourne, Ten won Adelaide. Nine leads the week with 27.9%, from Seven with 27.6%. Nine won Melbourne because Two and a Half Men, Top Gear and Survivor were more popular there than in other markets. We will see the same tonight with Hey Hey its Saturday.

Main Channel: Seven won here with a share of 26.8%, from Ten with 25.0%, Nine with 22.7%, ABC 1, 13.5% and SBS ONE, 4.9%. Seven won Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. Nine won Melbourne, Ten won Adelaide. Nine leads the week with a share of 24.9% from Seven with 24.8%.

Digital: GO won with 2.0%, from 7TWO on 1.7%, ABC 2 with 1.5%, ONE, 0.9%, ABC 3, 0.5% and SBS TWO 0.4%. That’s a total share of 7.0% for the six digital FTA channels. GO leads the week with a share of 3.1%, from 7TWO with 2.7% and ONE on 2.0%.

Pay TV: Seven won with 23.6%, from Ten with 21.5%, Nine on 20.5%, Pay TV with 14.7%, the ABC with 12.9% and SBS with 4.4%. The 11 FTA channels had a total share of 85.3%, Pay TV’s 100 plus channels shared the 14.7% reported.

Regional: Prime/7Qld won with 30.3%, with SC Ten on 25.0%, WIN/NBN with 23.7%, the ABC was on 14.4% and SBS with 6.6%. Prime/7Qld won the main channels with 29.1%, from SC Ten with 25.0% and WIN/NBN with 22.0%. GO won the digitals with 1.7% from ABC 2 with 1.4% and 7TWO with 1.2%. WIN/NBN leads the week with 29.2%, from Prime/7Qld with 27.6%.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Modern Family debuted on Ten last night at 8pm and the 1.549 million can’t be ignored. Strong in all demos. It was the same in the US. The program’s success has brought forward a flood of look a likes and other “comedies” for the new US season starting later in the year. Think of it as an updated version of Married … with Children. Ed O’Neill is there, older and plumper (aren’t we all?). Along with The Good Wife, Sundays at 8.30pm on Ten. More modern versions of old stories, done well.

Nine has built Tuesday nights around Top Gear at 7.30pm and running until 8.40pm, then a sort of best of Survivor program. Unlike the US, Survivor doesn’t rate all that well here.

Foreign Correspondent‘s look at the China stimulus spending and its impact on the economy was a very good and timely report. Good current affairs TV and good TV generally. It’s what viewers should get served up by the various programs on all networks from time to time. Would we see a similar report from the Seven Network, now that its fortunes are tied directly to the health of the Chinese economy and its influence on and Australian resource sector?

In the end, Nine was squeezed last night. While Seven won All People, Ten convincingly won the demos, the 16 to 39s, the 18 to 49s and the 25 to 54s.

TONIGHT: Spicks and Specks at 8.30pm. The Pacific on Seven, MasterChef on Ten. Inspector Rex on SBS and for all those who are sleep deprived and need a head start tonight, Hey Hey it’s Saturday on Nine at 7.30pm.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports