Seven won the night in a close one in the “all people” demographic, Nine won the 16-to-54 demographic. Seven won “all people” everywhere but Melbourne, where the AFL Footy Show got Nine home. Seven’s big wins in Adelaide and Perth were especially noticeable. Only three programs with 1 million or more metro viewers, which tells us the rest of the night was flat, with only the odd exception.

The first was The Checkout, one of the best programs on ABC1, which contains a lesson for other current affairs programs on how to report consumer stories, crisply and directly (a big hint to A Current Affair and Today Tonight). Last night was the fourth program so far, and it was up to its usual standard. Solid, factual and entertaining.

The Checkout had national 1.238 million / 822,000 metro/ 416,000 regional viewers and is turning out to be a nice ratings earner for ABC1 on a difficult night. These are figures the commercial networks would dearly love. In fact, The Checkout did better nationally than Today Tonight, A Current Affair and 7.30 (even thought they were not directly opposite and not strict competitors).

The second was Mrs Brown’s Boys on Seven (the fresh episode from 8.30pm) — 1.647 million national/ 993,000 metro/ 654,000 regional — with lots of laughs. Seven started a new program, Citizen Khan from 9.10pm — 1.094 million national/ 653,000/ 441,000 regional — OK, but not great not. It came with cred from the UK for being the country’s first “south-east Asian” (Indian sub-continent, really) sitcom. Nine’s Footy Shows averaged 1.050 million national/ 742,000 metro/ 308,000 regional. But with 338,000 watching in Melbourne, it’s really a one-market show. Orbit finally finished on ABC1 from 8.30pm, and the UK-centric nature of this program was again underlined last night, tiresomely. It averaged 927,000 national/ 614,000 metro/ 313,000 regional.

Network channel share:

  1. Seven (29.6%)
  2. Nine (27.0%)
  3. ABC (18.9%)
  4.  Ten (18.3%)
  5. SBS (6.5%)

Main channels: 

  1. Seven (21.8%)
  2. Nine (20.4%)
  3. ABC1 (14.4%)
  4. Ten (13.0%)
  5. SBS ONE (5.2%)

Top five digital channels:

  1. 7TWO (5.0%)
  2. GO (3.9%)
  3. Eleven (3.2%)
  4. 7mate, Gem (2.7%)
  5. ABC2 (2.6%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1. Nine News  – 1.799 million
  2. Seven News –1.775 million
  3. Mrs Browns’ Boys (Seven) — 1.647 million
  4. ABC1 News — 1.575 million
  5. Border Security International (Seven) – 1.461 million
  6. Home and Away (Seven) — 1.457million
  7. The Checkout (ABC1) — 1.238 million
  8. Today Tonight (Seven) — 1.223 million
  9. A Current Affair (Nine) — 1.180 million
  10. 7.30 (ABC1) — 1.128 million

Top metro programs: 

  1. Nine News (6 pm) — 1.222 million
  2. Seven News (6 pm) — 1.150 million
  3. ABC1 News (7 pm) — 1.061 million

Losers: Uhmmm, anyone who didn’t watch The Checkout or Mrs Brown’s Boys. Anyone who has the misfortune to stumble upon the NRL Footy Show. 

News and current affairs:

  1. Nine News — 1.222 million
  2. Seven News — 1.150 million
  3. ABC News – 1.061 million
  4. A Current Affair (Nine) — 988,000
  5. Today Tonight (Seven) — 945,000
  6. 7.30 (ABC1) — 728,000
  7. Ten News — 619,000
  8. The Project (Ten) — 498,000
  9. Ten Late News — 233,000
  10. Lateline (ABC1) — 213,000

Morning TV:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) – 360,000
  2. Today (Nine) – 308,000
  3. News Breakfast (ABC1) – 55,000 + 40,000 on News 24

Top five pay TV channels:

  1. Fox 8 – 3.3%
  2. LifeStyle — 2.4%
  3. TV1 – 2.0%
  4. UK TV — 1.7%
  5. Sky News, Discovery  – 1.6%.

Top five pay TV programs:

  1. Grand Designs (LifeStyle) – 116,000
  2. AFL: 360 (Fox Footy) – 103,000
  3. The Simpsons (Fox 8) – 72,000
  4. Eastenders (UKTV) – 69,000
  5. Family Guy (Fox 8) – 67,000

Tonight: AFL on Seven and Foxtel, NRL on Nine. Better Homes and Gardens on Seven in non-NRL markets. The Living Room on Ten. Silent Witness on ABC1.

The weekend: AFL on Seven and Foxtel, NRL on Nine and Foxtel on Saturday and Sunday. Last Tango in Halifax and Inspector Gently on ABC1 on Saturday (best night of the week for ABC1). A-League Soccer grand final on Foxtel. Cycling on SBS ONE (Sunday night). The Sunday morning chats, The Voice on Nine, My Kitchen Rules starts its grand finals on Seven. 60 Minutes on Nine, the final Downton Abbey on Seven, Call The Midwife and Miranda on ABC1 (before BBC Worldwide and Foxtel pinch them), The Biggest Loser and Elementary on Ten.

*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.) Plus network reports.