The Winners

  1. MasterChef (Ten) (7.30pm) — 2.206 million (new season high).
  2. Seven News (6pm) — 1.356 million.
  3. Bondi Vet (Ten) (8pm) — 1.323 million.
  4. Today Tonight (Seven) (6.30pm) — 1.268 million.
  5. Nine News (6pm) — 1.163 million.
  6. Sea Patrol (Nine) (8.30pm) — 1.163 million.
  7. A Current Affair (Nine) (6.30pm) — 1.089 million.
  8. ABC News (7pm) — 1.058 million.

MasterChef was king. Nine did well because of its digital channel, GO. On a main channel basis, it was weak, as was Seven. No reason to try with MasterChef in a frenzy. Next week will be worse. The week after next, from Monday, Ten comes back to the field with MasterChef over.

The Losers Cougar Town, Seven, 9.30pm, 528,000. It’s still on air.

News & CA

  1. Seven News (6pm) — 1.356 million.
  2. Today Tonight (Seven) (6.30pm) — 1.268 million.
  3. Nine News (6pm) — 1.163 million.
  4. ABC News (7pm) — 1.058 million.
  5. The 7PM Project (Ten) (7pm) — 952,000.
  6. Ten News (5pm) — 848,000.
  7. The 7.30 Report (ABC) — 682,000.
  8. Lateline (ABC) (10.25pm) — 293,000.
  9. Ten’s late News/Sports Tonight (11pm) — 223,000.
  10. SBS News (6.30pm ) — 165,000.
  11. SBS late News (9.30) — 155,000.
  12. Lateline Business — (ABC, 11 – 11.30 pm) — 126,000.

Mornings:

  1. Sunrise — (Seven) (7am) — 383,000.
  2. Today (Nine) (7am) — 299,000.

Seven News may have won nationally but it and Today Tonight were weak in Melbourne, noticeably so. The 7pm ABC News actually finished second in Melbourne to Nine. Nine had 379,000 viewers, the ABC, 366,000, Seven, 346,000. A Current Affair was noticeably weak in Sydney, its 277,000 viewers was exceeded by the 7pm ABC News in Sydney which had 283,000 viewers. It’s not a strict comparison, more an indicator of the weakness of ACA.

The Stats:

  • FTA: Nine won with a share of 27.8%, from Ten on 26.7%, Seven with 22.5%, the ABC, 16.8% and SBS, 6.1%. That was an illusion, as we will see. Seven’s weakness on Thursdays continued last night; they can’t or won’t fix outside Sydney and Brisbane between 7.30 and 8.30pm. Nine leads the week with 25.9% from Seven with 25.7% and Ten on 25.1%. But Ten won 6pm to 10.30pm in All People, 16 to 39, 18 to 49 and 25 to 54. Remember, Nine’s share was on the basis of 6pm to midnight.
  • Main Channel: Here Ten was the clear winner, with a share of 25.7%, from Nine with 22.5%, Seven on 19.9%, ABC1, 14.0% and SBS ONE, 5.7%. Ten leads the week with a share of 23.6%, from Seven with 23.1% and Nine on 22.4%.
  • Digital: GO won convincingly with 5.4% as Nine boosts its appeal by showing more repeats of programs that have aired on the main channel. 7TWO averaged 2.6%, ABC2, 14.0%, ONE, 1.0%, ABC3, 0.8% and SBS TWO, 0.5%. The six FTA digital channels averaged 12.3%. GO leads the week clearly with a share of 3.5%, from 7TWO on 2.6%. Adelaide and Perth were the best markets for the digital channels. The six had total shares of 14.5% in each market in prime time.
  • Pay TV: Nine won with 22.9%, from Ten on 22.0%, Seven on 18.5%, Pay TV and its 100-plus channels, 15.4%, the ABC, 13.9% and SBS, 5.0%. The 11 FTA channels had a total share of 84.6%.
  • Regional: WIN/NBN won with a share of 31%, from SC Ten on 24.2%, Prime/7Qld on 23.0%, the ABC with 16.4% and SBS on 5.4%. WIN/NBN won with a share of 25.5%, from SC Ten on 23.3%. GO won the digitals with a share of 5.5%, from 7TWO on 2.6%. WIN/NBN leads the week with 29.0%, from Prime/7Qld with 25.6%.

Major Markets:

  • Sydney: Ten won from Nine and Seven overall, and in the main channels. GO won everywhere from 7TWO and ABC2. Ten leads the week in Sydney from Seven and Nine.
  • Melbourne: Nine won from Ten and Seven, but in the main channels, Ten won from Nine and Seven. GO won the digitals. Ten leads the week from Nine and Seven.
  • Brisbane: Nine won from Seven and Ten in Brisbane as MasterChef again didn’t dominate like in does in other markets. Nine won from Seven and Ten as well in the main channels, GO won the digitals and Seven leads the week from Nine and Ten.
  • Adelaide: Nine won here from Ten and Seven because of the strength of GO, which won the digitals from Seven and Nine (which tells us how weak Nine’s main channel was last night). Ten won the main channels from Seven and Nine. Ten leads the week from Seven and Nine.
  • Perth: Nine won Perth overall for the same reason as elsewhere, with Ten next, then Seven. Ten won the main channel from Seven and Nine. GO won the digitals. Seven leads the week from Ten and Nine.

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

Glenn Dyer’s comments: A one program night, MasterChef, another high for the year for the second night in a row. Next week, we can expect two million plus audiences for most of the week until the final on Sunday night week when well over three million will watch, possibly 3.6 million or more.

So ignore Nine’s win in All People, which was due to the repeats of The Big Bang Theory on GO. Three episodes last night, all previously seen on Nine’s main channel. Nine is now programming GO not as an alternative to the main channel, but as an adjunct. Top Gear was repeated last night as well.

The 9.30pm Footy Shows on Nine, 315,000 in Melbourne for the AFL (out of 743,000 nationally, fading slowly), but the Sydney NRL program, averaged just 154,000 and 97,000 in Brisbane. Seven’s rival The Matty Johns Show program at 7.30pm averaged 221,000 in Sydney and 167,000 in Brisbane.

154,000 watched Julia at the National Press Club yesterday.

TONIGHT: The Tour de France (watch the 6pm highlights on SBS for the best finish in a stage for ages). NRL on Nine, AFL on Seven in some markets. MasterChef masterclass tonight and Trial and Retribution on the ABC.

SATURDAY: The Tour de France continues, Midsomer Murders continues to investigate the declining population of Midsomer, AFL on Ten in some markets, AFL and NRL on Foxtel. Nothing worth watching on Seven or Nine (Or Ten in northern markets). Could be an election, so watch the am shows if you are interested. Or, better still, go and have a coffee and read in the sun somewhere.

SUNDAY: Watch the morning chats, especially with the Governor General at home in Canberra up till yesterday morning. AFL on Seven (Swans vs. Carlton), the NRL on Nine. Besides the Tour de France, Dateline returns to SBS at 87.30 pm. 60 Minutes on Nine. Dancing With The Stars on Seven, MasterChef’s final week starts on Ten. Let the hype begin. The Hawke biopic is on Ten from 8.30pm to 10.30pm. If an election is called, should Ten be forced to broadcast Keating! The Musical, the following Sunday?

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports