The Glenn Dyer breakdown: A close night between Nine and Seven. In reality, it was a very poor night of viewing and not one program had a metro audience of more than 1.1 million, or a national audience above 1.7 million. It was a weak night of offerings and the audience responded in the most appropriate way by not really watching in convincing numbers, especially after 7pm.

Ten slipped back to fourth, the ABC regained third and that was that.

Big Brother (1.057 metro and 1.38 million national viewers) had a win over Home and Away (843,000 metro and 1.310 million national viewers), but BB was still on the nose in regional markets as well as Perth.

Big Brother’s best audience was in Melbourne where 360,000 people with nothing better to do watched. That was also the highest single market audience for any program across the country last night. Don’t they have any pride down south?  A small saving grace is that Melbourne was also where Gruen Planet was watched by 352,000 people, which was the second largest single market audience for any program last night.

The Alan Jones material on Gruen Planet and The Chaser’s Hamster Wheel was funny at times, but predictable.

Tonight: TV taste alert; the Seven Network makes a desperate attempt to grab the Tackmeister crown from the Ten Network with Brynne: My Bedazzled Life (7.30, a big PGA warning) and then the return of Beauty and The Geek Australia. Talk about throwing good taste out the window. If you were offended in any way by The Shire or Being Lara Bingle, then don’t watch Brynne in particular. The Beauty and The Geek we know from past experience is just another dip into cheap “reality” titillation. Compared with Brynne, it’s low-level viewer exploitation. Brynne though is another thing. It’s grubbier than Big Brother and a timely warning that networks and some people who want to appear on camera, know no shame.

Over on Nine it’s Big Brother and the tame Big Brother Confidential and the latest series of AFP (from Andrew Denton’s production company). Ten has two fresh eps of Law and Order SVU from 8.30, after 90 minutes of repeats of Modern Family and Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals (the 15-minute short-order versions are coming). The ABC has Rake (can you image Rake meeting Brynne?). That’s after Catalyst at 8 o’clock. SBS has the second series of the Two Greedy Italians at 8.30 (the first of four parts). It will be predictable, but it won’t offend your good taste. it in fact stands out tonight as a beacon of good TV taste.

The top 10 national programs (metro & regional combined):

  1. Seven News — 1.646 million.
  2. Surveillance Oz (Seven) –1.566 million.
  3. Nine News — 1.552 million.
  4. Highway Patrol (Seven) — 1.500 million.
  5. 7pm ABC 1 News — 1.464 million.
  6. A Current Affair (Nine) –1.457 million.
  7. Gruen Planet (ABC 1) — 1.409 million.
  8. Big Brother (Nine) — 1.381 million.
  9. Home and Away (Seven) — 1.310 million.
  10. Criminal Minds (Seven) — 1.262 million.

The metro winners:

  1. Seven 6pm News — 1.076 million.
  2. 7pm ABC 1 News — 1.068 million.
  3. Nine 6pm News — 1.065 million.
  4. Big Brother (Nine, 7pm) — 1.057 million.
  5. Gruen Planet (ABC 1, 8.30pm) — 1.023 million.
  6. Today Tonight (Seven, 6.30pm) — 1.008 million.
  7. Surveillance Oz (Seven, 8pm) — 1.006 million.

The Losers: Where to start? Well, Ten. Last Man Standing at 7.30 and 8pm, rotten figures, 347,000 and 364,000 metro viewers 495,000 and 467,000 respectively (nationally). Nine’s Big Fat Gypsy Weddings at 8.30pm, 660,000 metro and 822,000 national viewers.

Metro news and current affairs: Nine News won Sydney (by 53,000 viewers) and Melbourne (by 108,000), but lost Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth (by 79,000) to Seven News, which scraped home nationally as a result. ACA won Sydney and Melbourne easily, TT won the rest by enough to win nationally.

  1. Seven 6pm News — 1.076 million.
  2. 7pm ABC 1 News — 1.068 million.
  3. Nine 6pm News — 1.065 million.
  4. Today Tonight (Seven, 6.30pm) — 1.008 million.
  5. A Current Affair (Nine, 6.30pm) — 955,000.
  6. 7.30 (ABC 1, 7.30pm) — 789,000.
  7. Ten News At Five (Ten, 5pm) — 628,000.
  8. The Project (Ten, 6.30pm) — 500,000.
  9. The Project (Ten, 6pm) — 386,000.
  10. Lateline (ABC 1, 10.40pm) — 205,000.
  11. World News Australia (SBS ONE, 6.30pm) — 161,000.
  12. Ten Late News (Ten, 10.30pm — 118,000.
  13. The Business (ABC 1, 11.15pm, rpt) — 113,000.
  14. World News Late (SBS ONE, 10.30pm) — 69,000.
  15. The Drum (News 24, 6pm) — 42,000.

In the morning: Viewers again discovered Ten’s Breakfast, but for how long? That’s the big question.

  1. Sunrise (Seven, 7am) — 347,000.
  2. Today (Nine, 7am) — 303,000.
  3. The Morning Show (Seven, 9am) — 176,000.
  4. Mornings (Nine, 9am) — 116,000.
  5. News Breakfast (ABC 1, 7am) — 41,000 + 33,000 on News 24*.
  6. Breakfast (Ten, 7am) — 46,000.

*On News 24 simulcast

 

Metro free to air: Seven (3 channels) won with a share of 31.0%, from Nine (3) on 27.2%, the ABC (4) ended on  19.3%, Ten (3) was on 17.0% and SBS (2) ended on 5.5%. Seven now leads the week, 30.8% to Nine’s 30.4%. The ABC is on 18.3% and Ten is back on on 15.8%.

Main channels: Seven won narrowly with 21.6% from Nine on 21.5%. ABC 1 was on 15.2%, Ten was on 10.6% and SBS ONE ended on 4.5%. Nine still leads the week with 23.9% from Seven on 22.6%, ABC 1 is on 14.1% and Ten is on 10.6%.

Metro digital: 7TWO won with a share of 5.6% from Eleven on 3.9%, 7mate is on 2.8%, GO ended on 3.5%, ONE was on 2.5%, ABC 2, 2.4%, Gem was on 2.2%. SBS TWO, 1.0%, ABC 3, 0.9% and News 24 finished with 0.8%. The 10 digital channels had an FTA share last night of 26.6%. 7TWO leads the week with 4.8%, from GO on 3.9% and 7mate on 3.4%.

Metro including pay TV: Seven (3 channels) won with a share of 25.8%, from Nine (3) on 22.6%, the ABC (4) ended on 16.0%, Ten (3) was on 14.1% and SBS (2) ended on 4.6%. the 15 FTA channels had a viewing share last night of 85.3% (the week’s high so far). The 10 digitals had a total share of 21.7% and the five main channels share was 63.6%. The 200-plus channels on Foxtel had a total pay TV share last night of 14.7%.

The top five pay TV channels were:

  1. Fox 8 — 3.3%.
  2. LifeStyle — 2.6%.
  3. Discovery — 2.3%.
  4. Disney — 2.0%.
  5. TV1 — 1.9%.

The five most-watched programs on pay TV were:

  1. Location, Location , Location Aust. (LifeStyle) — 98,000.
  2. Deadlist Catch (Discovery) — 82,000.
  3. The Simpsons (F8) — 76,000.
  4. Family Guy (F8) — 75,000.
  5. Family Guy (F8) — 73,000.

Regional: Prime/7Qld (3 channels) won with a share of 36.2%, from WIN/NBN (3) on 26.9%, the ABC (4) ended on 17.3%, SC Ten (3) was on 14.3% and SBS (2) ended on 5.3%. Prime/7Qld, with 23.4%, won the main channels from WIN/NBN on 19.1%, with ABC 1 on 12.7% and SC Ten on 7.9%. 7TWO won the digitals with 7.9%, from GO on 5.05 and 7mate on 4.9%. The 10 digital channels had an FTA share last night of a very high 32.4%. Prime/7Qld now leads the week with 33.2%, from WIN/NBN on 31.4%, the ABC was on 17.3% and SC Ten, 13.2%.

The five most-watched programs in regional markets were:

  1. Seven News — 570,000.
  2. Surveillance Oz — 560,000.
  3. Highway Patrol — 533,000.
  4. ACA — 503,000
  5. Nine News — 487,000.

Major metro markets: Seven won (overall and the main channels) on Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Nine won Melbourne where the love affair with Big Brother and Nine News and ACA continues. In Sydney Seven won overall and Nine won the main channels. The ABC/ABC1 were third everywhere, meaning Ten’s gains of Tuesday night were reversed. 7TWO won the digitals everywhere bar Brisbane where Eleven won. Nine leads Seven and the ABC in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Seven leads Nine and the ABC in Adelaide and Perth.

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

Source: Oztam, TV Networks data