A real battle of tacky TV last night — the low-lights of Ten’s The Bachelor (cringingly called After The Last Rose), and Beauty and the Geek Australia (which matched Ten’s vapid offering, gaucherie for gaucherie). Why would young men and women allow themselves to appear dumb, stupid, greedy, grasping and anything else all in the name of TV ratings and 15 minutes of fame? But they are grown-ups and no one forces them to make gooses of themselves. The look isn’t attractive and fame and fortune does not await them.

The Bachelor (1.041 million national/ 768,000 metro/ 273,000 regional viewers) had the best of the battle of the bottom feeders over Beauty And The Geek (964,000 national/624,000 metro/ 340,000 regional viewers) among female viewers. Male viewers overwhelmingly preferred Nine News (for the test cricket, which continued until just after 6.30pm Sydney time).  But among women 35 and above, neither programs rated — The Bachelor finished sixth in this group and Beauty and the Geek Australia, 16th. This demographic preferred the news on Seven and ABC, Today Tonight, Home and Away and ACA. The reality is that the majority of viewers of both programs were women under the age of 35 — they should know better. Around 400,000 viewers forgot to return to The Bachelor last night from Wednesday’s final, and Home and Away (1.492 million national/ 976,000 metro/ 516,000 regional viewers) wiped the floor with both The Bachelor and Beauty And The Geek Australia.

The cricket (who is the Australian captain again, did any one see him bat yesterday?) was watched by a solid average audience during the day of 780,000 national/ 436,000 metro/ 344,000 regional viewers. The second session (from the start of play after lunch until stumps) averaged 930,000 national/548,000 metro/ 382,000 regional viewers, helped by the overrun to just after 6.30 pm. I reckon at 6/132 with Australia on the ropes, the entire Ashes season flashed before the eyes of the Nine Entertainment executives, board, shareholders and float advisers. The float and first half profit is safe for a few more hours.

Seven’s night in metro and regional markets. Ten was again a comfortable third in metro markets, but tied with ABC1 in regional markets where viewers have more sense and are conservative (although they did watch Seven’s stuff). Nine won the 16 to 54 demographics in metro markets from Seven. Ten’s Wake Up was up 49,000 metro viewers and Studio 10 was up to 46,000. News Breakfast on ABC1 had 60,000 viewers and another 50,000 on News24.

Network channel share:

  1. Seven (28.6%)
  2. Nine (28.2%)
  3. Ten (20.1%)
  4. ABC (16.5%)
  5. SBS (6.7%)

Network main channels:

  1. Seven (20.3%)
  2. Nine (18.9%)
  3. Ten (14.4%)
  4. ABC1 (10.2%)
  5. SBS ONE (5.6%)

Top 5 digital channels: 

  1. GO (5.3%)
  2. 7TWO (4.8%)
  3. Gem (4.0%)
  4. ABC2 (3.9%)
  5. Eleven (3.6%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1. Seven News —  1.814 million
  2. Nine News —  1.612 million
  3. Home and Away (Seven) — 1.492 million
  4. Today Tonight (Seven) — 1.023 million
  5. A Current Affair (Nine) — 1.171 million
  6. ABC  News — 1.131 million
  7. The Bachelor (Ten) — 1.041 million
  8. How I Met Your Mother (Seven) — 1.003 million
  9. Beauty And The Geek Australia (Seven) — 964,000
  10. 7.30 (ABC1) — 959,000

Top metro programs:

  1. Seven News — 1.195 million
  2. Nine News —  1.101 million
  3. Today Tonight (Seven) — 1.023 million

Losers:  Viewers of The Bachelor low-lights and Beauty And The Geek Australia.Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Seven News — 1.195 million
  2. Nine News —  1.101 million
  3. Today Tonight (Seven) — 1.023 million
  4. A Current Affair (Nine) — 959,000
  5. ABC News – 767,000
  6. 7.30 (ABC1) — 626,000
  7. Ten Eyewitness News — 481,000
  8. The Project (Ten) — 446,000
  9. Lateline (ABC1) — 167,000
  10. SBS World News — 140,000

Metro morning TV:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) – 357,000
  2. Today (Nine) – 329,000
  3. The Morning Show (Seven) — 174,000
  4. Mornings (Nine) — 117,000
  5. News Breakfast (ABC1 60,000 + 50,000 on News24) — 110,000
  6. Wake Up (Ten) — 49,000
  7. Studio 10 (Ten) — 46,000

Top five pay TV channels:

  1. LifeStyle – (2.7%)
  2. TV1 – (2.3%)
  3. Fox 8 – (2.0%)
  4. UKTV – (1.9%)
  5. Crime and Investigation – (1.6%)

Top five pay TV programs:

  1. AFL Draft (Fox Footy) – 120,000
  2. Grand Designs Australia (LifeStyle) – 110,000
  3. Coronation Street (UKTV) – 62,000
  4. AFL Open Mike (Fox Footy) – 61,000
  5. Grand Designs Revisted (LifeStyle) – 57,000

*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.) and network reports.