The Winners:

  1. MasterChef (Ten) (7.30pm) — 2.397 million (new season high), 2.52 million adjusted for late finish at 8:40pm.
  2. Packed to the Rafters (Seven) (8.30pm) — 1.914 million (season high).
  3. Seven News (6pm) — 1.486 million.
  4. Today Tonight (Seven, 6.30pm) — 1.430 million.
  5. Nine News (6pm)  — 1.288 million.
  6. A Current Affair (Nine) (6.30pm ) — 1.277 million.
  7. The 7PM Project (Ten) (7pm) — 1.207 million (record high).
  8. Home and Away (Seven) (7pm) — 1.104 million.
  9. ABC News (7pm) — 1.072 million.
  10. Top Gear (Nine) (7.30pm ) — 1.039 million.

Nothing more to be said. Big audiences for the two giants of Australian TV at the moment. When MasterChef finishes with a bang next Sunday night, Ten’s fall from Monday onwards will hurt. The program to watch will be The 7PM Project and where it’s audience size settles. It’s already hurting Seven at 7pm and making Today Tonight and A Current Affair look so very 1990s. The 7PM Project had more viewers in Melbourne last night at 7PM to 7.30pm (461,000) than the more expensive and more highly promoted Seven and Nine News, TT and ACA did in their respective slots in Melbourne or Sydney at 6pm and 6.30pm. In fact The 7PM Project was the third most watched program on the night in Melbourne.

The Losers:

No losers when MasterChef and Packed to the Rafters are on the same night.

News & CA:

  1. Seven News (6pm) — 1.486 million.
  2. Today Tonight (Seven) (6.30pm) — 1.430 million.
  3. Nine News (6pm) — 1.288 million.
  4. A Current Affair (Nine) (6.30pm ) — 1.277 million.
  5. The 7PM Project (Ten) — 1.207 million.
  6. ABC News (7pm) — 1.072 million.
  7. Ten News (5pm) — 787,000.
  8. The 7.30 Report (ABC) – 723,000.
  9. Foreign Correspondent (ABC) (8pm) — 546,000.
  10. Ten late News/Sports Tonight (10.30pm) — 326,000.
  11. Lateline (ABC) (10.30pm) — 209,000.
  12. SBS News (6.30pm) –189,000.
  13. Insight (SBS)(7.30pm) –154,000
  14. SBS late News (9.30pm) — 149,000.
  15. Lateline Business (ABC) (11.05pm) — 112,000.

Mornings:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) (7am) — 365,000.
  2. Today (Nine) (7am) — 315,000.

Seven News won nationally and everywhere. Today Tonight lost both Melbourne and Brisbane to ACA. Overall, just another night. Notice Nine News has Laurie Oakes “Cutting through The Spin” They must have channelled rival Seven, which started a segment with the same name on Saturday and kept it going up to last night.

What is sad is that apart from John Clarke and Bryan Dawe at the back end of the The 7.30 Report tomorrow night, we have no mainstream satire of the election campaign. Some times The 7Pm Project ventures into the area, but not enough. So which network will grab the chance? A special Good News Week or two on the election on Ten? Seven says Sunday Night will remain on holidays until September and won’t be back for the poll.

The Stats:

  • FTA: Seven with 27.9%, from Ten on 27.3%, Nine on 23.4%, the ABC, 15.5% and SBS 5.8%. Ten leads the week with 28.9%, from Seven with 26.6% and Nine on 24.3%.
  • Main Channel: Ten won with a share of 26.9% (and a more accurate result from last night), from Seven with 25.9%, Nine on 21.4%, ABC1, 13.5% and SBS ONE, 5.5%. Ten leads the week on 27.7%, from Seven with 23.9% and Nine on 21.2%)
  • Digital: The six FTA digital channels had a low share of 6.7% (not surprising give the strength of MasterChef and Packed to the Rafters). GO and 7TWO shared the night with 2.0% each, from ABC2 with 1.4%, ABC3, 0.6%, ONE on 0.4% and SBS TWO with 0.3%. GO leads the week with 3.1%, from 7TWO on 2.7%. Adelaide had the peak share for the digitals of 11.1% last night.
  • Pay TV: Seven finished with a share of 23.7%, from Ten on 23.2%, Nine was on 19.8%, the ABC, 13.1%, Pay TV and its 100 plus channels shared 13.0% and SBS was on 4.9%. The 11 FTA channels had a total share of 87.0%.
  • Regional: A win to Prime/7Qld with a share of 30.8%, from WIN/NBN for Nine with 26.3%, SC Ten, was on 24.6%, the ABC, 13.5% and SBS, 4.8%. Prime/7Qld won the main channels with a share of 28.8%, from WIN/NBN and SC Ten tied on 24.1%. GO won the digitals with a share of 2.2%, from 7TWO on 2.0%. WIN/NBN lead the week with 27.6%, from Prime/7Qld with 27.5% and SC Ten on 25.9%.

Major Markets:

  • Sydney: Seven won from Ten and Nine, and that was the order for the main channels. ABC2 won the digitals from GO and 7TWO. Ten leads the week from Seven and Nine.
  • Melbourne: Ten won the night from Seven and Nine, and that was the order for the main channels. 7TWO won the digitals from GO and ABC2. Ten leads the week from Seven and Nine.
  • Brisbane: Seven won from Nine and Ten (MasterChef is not as popular here). That was also the order in the main channels, while 7TWO won the digitals from GO with ABC2 and ABC3 tied for third. Nine leads the week from Seven and Ten.
  • Adelaide: A win to Seven, from Ten and Nine and the order was the same for the main channels. The digitals saw GO win from 7TWO and ABC2. Ten leads the week from Seven and Nine.
  • Perth: Seven won overall from Ten and Nine and in the main channels. GO won the digitals from ABC2 and 7TWO. 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: MasterChef rules, OK! Great news that democracy requires our political class and the commintariat to bow to popular taste and force the election debate to 6.30pm on Sunday. A bigger crisis is now that Courtney is out and Claire went all boo hoo last night, who do we support? MasterChef averaged 695,000 in regional areas, so the national audience last night cracked the 3 million mark for the first time this year with 3.092 million watching. Packed to the Rafters national audience was 2.67 million viewers (758,000 in regional areas, it out rated MasterChef).

Sky News’ David Speers will host the debate, does that make him the new Ray Martin? Seven says its polygraph will register what men, women and a consensus think about each leader during Sunday night’s debate. Stick one on the host.

TONIGHT: The Gruen Transfer, Spicks and Specks, MasterChef and a rest day in the Tour de France. Hey Hey it’s Saturday has Kylie Minogue.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports