The Winners: Just four programs with a million or more viewers tells us how deathly TV was last night. Getaway on Nine at 7.30pm had just 772,000 viewers which was poor — and one of the lowest on a normal Thursday evening for years. It’s starting to fall away rather quickly. Cops L.A.C on Nine at 8.30pm, 712,000. It lost out to Ten’s Rush in the same slot, 861,000 and which was poor at that. The Amazing Race started on Seven at 8.30pm, 797,000. To be beaten by Rush tells us how dire the Seven program, was.

  1. Seven News  (6pm) — 1.239 million
  2. Today Tonight (Seven) (6.30pm) — 1.160 million
  3. A Current Affair (Nine) (6.30pm) — 1.116 million
  4. Nine News (6pm) — 1.116 million

The Losers: The whole night from 7pm onwards. Just poor TV, with only an occasional spark of interest. Depressing really, no wonder the digital channels did very well.

News & CA: Nine News won Sydney over a weak Seven. Seven News won the rest. ACA had a better night, winning Sydney and Melbourne, but losing the rest. A low night all around. Just wait until Daylight Saving starts.

  1. Seven News  (6pm) — 1.239 million
  2. Today Tonight (Seven) (6.30pm) — 1.160 million
  3. A Current Affair (Nine) (6.30pm) — 1.116 million
  4. Nine News (6pm) — 1.116 million
  5. ABC News (7pm) — 982,000
  6. The 7pm Project (Ten, 7 – 7.30 pm) — 842,000
  7. Ten News (5pm) — 788,000
  8. The 7.30 Report (ABC) (7.30pm) — 718,000
  9. Late News/Sports Tonight (Ten) (10.30pm) — 269,000
  10. SBS News (6.30pm) — 230,000
  11. Lateline (ABC) (10.25pm) –195,000
  12. SBS News (9.30pm) — 173,000
  13. Lateline Business (ABC) (11pm) — 97,000

In the morning:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) (7am) — 399,000
  2. Today (Nine) (7am) –312,000

The Stats:

  • FTA: Nine won with a share of 30.5% from Seven on 27.4%, from Ten on 19.3%, the ABC with 16.4% and SBS with 6.3%. Seven leads the week with 29.1% from Nine on 27.7% and Ten with 20.1%. It wasn’t a night to boast about. When the AFL Footy Show departs next week, Nine will rejoin Seven and Ten.
  • Main Channel: Nine won with a share of 23.7%, from Seven on 21.3%, Ten with 18.4%, ABC 1 with 12.7% and SBS ONE with 5.8%. Seven leads the week with 24.3% from Nine on 22.4% and Ten with 18.4%.
  • Digital: A big night. The nine channels had a total share of 18.2%, against Ten’s combined 19.3% and Ten’s main channel on 18.4%. GO won with 5.5%, from 7TWO on 3.3% and 7Mate on 2.9%. ABC 2 was on 2.4%, Gem on 1.9%, ONE, 0.9%, News 24, 0.7% and SBS TWO and ABC 3 on 0.6% each.
  • Pay TV: A win for Nine with 25.0%, from Seven on 22.5%, Ten with 15.8%, Pay TV and its 100 plus channels, 15.0%, the ABC on 13.5% and SBS, 5.2%. That left 85% for the FTA channels, with the nine digitals totalling 15% and the five main channels, 70%.
  • Regional: WIN/NBN won with a share of 31.4%, from Prime/7Qld on 25.3%, SC Ten on 20.1%, the ABC on 14.8% and SBS on 6.0%. WIN/NBN won the main channels from Prime/7Qld. GO won the digitals with 5.1%, from 3.2% for 7TWO and 2.5% for 7Mate. The nine digital channels had a high 16.7% total share in regional areas last night. WIN/NBN lead the week on 29.1% from Prime/7Qld on 27.1%.

Major Markets: Yes, it was a big night for the digitals, from a total share of 15.0% in the Sydney market, to a huge 20.5% in Perth and a bigger 20.7% in Adelaide. In Melbourne the share was a total of 18.4% and 19.4% in Brisbane. That’s how bad the main channels were. The continuing growth of 7Mate is still apparent, although GO was dominant last night and won everywhere with 7TWO, 7Mate and ABC 2 sharing the minor placing.

  • Sydney: Seven won from Nine and the ABC overall but in the main channels it was Seven from Nine and Ten. Seven leads the week from Nine and the ABC.
  • Melbourne: It was Nine from Seven and Ten overall and in the main channels and for the week.
  • Brisbane: Nine also won overall in Brisbane from Seven and Nine, but in the main channels, it was Seven from Nine and Ten. Nine leads the week from Seven and Ten.
  • Adelaide: Nine won overall, from Seven and Ten, but in the main channels, the placing were reversed with Ten winning from Seven and Nine. Seven still leads the week from Nine and Ten.
  • Perth: Seven won overall from Nine and Ten and in the main channels, Seven won from Ten and Nine. Seven leads the week from Nine and Ten.

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

Glenn Dyer’s comments: A bad night for TV, some gems, such as Love, Lust & Lies on the ABC, but not even the AFL Footy Show in Melbourne (479,000) could attract as many viewers as the previous Thursday (576,000). What’s that say about the audience for Seven’s telecast tomorrow afternoon?

As diabolical as viewing on the main channels last night was, the big news was that for the first time since the digital channels started, the total share on a weeknight of the nine FTA channels matched that of Foxtail’s 100 plus channels. Now the FTA digital channels are available in more homes than Foxtail’s penetration (close to 70% vs. around 31%), as Foxtel will argue, but the FTA channels are having an impact. Foxtail’s share has steadied (it was up 0.5% to 15.0% last night in prime time, the same as the total for the nine digital channels) and it is discounting its offers for new subscribers.

Seven’s 7Mate, and to a lesser extent, Nine’s Gem, have picked up new viewers, and even if they are coming from the main channels (as they undoubtedly were last night), they are not leaving the FTA channels for Foxtel, which is the name of the game for the networks, including the ABC and SBS.

TONIGHT: No football, at all. The women’s time trials from the world titles in Geelong on ONE, the first cricket Test against India from tonight on Fox Sports, Better Homes and Gardens on Seven, Jamie Does on Ten, and not very much else. If you like Waking the Dead on the ABC, it’s there as well, but like CSI, very predictable.

SATURDAY: Only one thing, sort of; the AFL Grand Final replay on Seven. The women’s road race from the world titles on ONE and the men’s under 23 road race. The Sydney Rugby Union GF on the ABC in Sydney. And it’s a poor night on the main channels. The cricket Test continues on Fox Sports.

SUNDAY: The NRL GF on Nine, starting at 5pm. Hoopla starts at Noon. If you don’t want the footy, Sunday Night on Seven at 6.30pm (60 Minutes should make it at 7.30pm on Nine, unless there is extra time in the GF).

Ten has Modern Family in repeat and the Hamish and Learn India with Hamish & Andy at 7.30pm which will be worth a look and will generate some angst at Ten and among the commentariat. Offspring at 8.30pm on Ten.

More Test cricket, but it’s day three and might be over if Ricky and the lads start in the usual fashion. And if you are interested, the Commonwealth Games starts late at night with the Opening ceremony, on Ten and ONE and Foxtel.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports