Seven won from a solid ABC1 and Ten, with Nine second, but in reality last thanks to the collection of duds and repeats it served up last night. Most disappointing. The ABC’s Australian Story was a “reworked” story from an earlier program (updated) on artist Ben Quilty and Four Corners was a buy-in, but at least they were attempts to provide quality programming, unlike repeats of The Big Bang Theory and then Two and A Half Men (which wasn’t fresh, because there is nothing at all fresh about this rubbish) and the average movie The Bucket List at 8.30pm (703,000 national/ 485,000 metro/ 218,000 regional). How bad was that? Well, the weak Can of Worms on Ten at 8.30pm did a lot better with 797,000 national/ 571,000 metro/ 226,000 regional, and it was a best-of program. Nine offered viewers rubbish and did so knowingly, and viewers responded accordingly. Home and Away (1.482 million national/ 992,000 metro/ 491,000 regional) was again Seven’s steadiest non-news program.

So far as the rest of the night? Revenge on Seven at 8.30pm had  1.571 million national/ 1.072 million metro/ 498,000 regional. That’s barely survival for what was a high-profile 1.8 to 2 million program in metro markets a year ago. Ten’s The Biggest Loser had another good night (1.362 million national/ 1.014 million metro/ 348,000 regional). Nine’s now usual trick of running dead is allowing TBL to get some traction, and Ten is taking advantage of that act of generosity to Lachlan Murdoch and his gang from Big Dave Gyngell and his mob. Seven, of course, has rested My Kitchen Rules this week.

Update: As you read this, The Voice is debuting for the start of its fourth season on NBC in the US, the second time this US season it has appeared (two hours from midday our time). The finale of series three averaged 14 million people (up around 18%) last December, but with Fox’s American Idol sliding by the night in its current season, are American viewers over talent shows? Nine won’t be wondering that when its second season starts after the Easter break, but it wouldn’t surprise to see the program come of its fabulous first-season highs in 2012. For NBC, The Voice is the last chance this ratings season to turn around what turned into a disaster (a strong start, capped by series three of The Voice, then a sharp and nasty slide in which every major program — including Today — has fallen). Now it finished the recent February sweeps in fifth. Can it climb out of the hole?

Network share:

  1. Seven (28.7%)
  2. Nine (22.8%)
  3. ABC (22.2%)
  4. Ten (21.8%)
  5. SBS (4.6%)

Main channels:

  1. Seven (21.4%)
  2. Nine (16.7%)
  3. ABC  (16.6%)
  4. Ten (15.0%)
  5. SBS ONE (3.2%)

Top digital channels:

  1. 7TWO (4.0%)
  2. ONE (3.5%)
  3. ABC 2, 7mate, Eleven (3.3%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1.  Seven News  – 1.757 million
  2. Nine News –– 1.712  million
  3. Revenge (Seven) — 1.571 million
  4. Home and Away (Seven) — 1.482 million
  5. ABC1 News — 1.461 million
  6. Australian Story (ABC1) — 1.363 million
  7. The Biggest Loser (Ten) — 1.362 million
  8. Border Security (repeat, Seven) — 1.327 million
  9. 7.30 (ABC1) — 1.259 million
  10. Today Tonight (Seven) — 1.213 million

Top Metro programs: 

  1. Seven News — 1.200 million
  2. Nine News  — 1.197 million
  3. Revenge(Seven) — 1.072 million
  4. The Biggest Loser (Ten) — 1.014 million
  5. ABC1 News — 1.004 million

Metro/regionals: Seven, thanks to Nine, Ten had a better night.

Losers: Viewers of Nine, again.Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Seven News –1.200 million
  2. Nine News  – 1.197 million
  3. ABC1 News –1.004 million
  4. A Current Affair (Nine) – 999,000
  5. Today Tonight (Seven) — 959,000
  6. Australian Story (ABC1) –898,000
  7. 7.30 (ABC1) — 827,000.
  8. Q&A (ABC1) — 624,000 +104,000 on News 24
  9. Ten News — 676,000
  10. Media Watch (ABC1) — 642,000

Morning TV:

  1. Today (Nine) – 340,000
  2. Sunrise (Seven) – 332,000
  3. News Breakfast (ABC1) – 59,000 + 25,000 on News 24

Top five pay TV channels:

  1. Fox Sports 1– 4.2%
  2. LifeStyle, Fox 8  – 2.3%
  3. TV1  – 2.1%
  4. Sky News — 1.9%
  5. UKTV – 1.8%.

Top five pay TV programs:

  1. NRL: Newcastle v. Nth Qld (Fox Sports 1) – 280,000
  2. Monday Night With Matty Johns (Fox Sports 1) – 154,000
  3. AFL: On The Couch (Fox Footy) – 115,000
  4. AFL: 360 (Fox Footy) – 91,000
  5. AFL: Open Mike (Fox Footy) – 90,000

 

Tonight: The Biggest Loser on Ten. Packed To The Rafters on Seven, nothing on Nine. Soccer on SBS (Insight and Dateline are rested), Australia v Oman in a vital World Cup qualifier. Foreign Correspondent on ABC1.

*Data © OzTAM Pty Limited 2013. The data may not be reproduced, published or communicated (electronically or in hard copy) in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of OzTAM. (All shares on the basis of combined overnight 6pm to midnight all people.)