The funeral of Phillip Hughes was broadcast on Nine (645,000 national viewers), Seven (408,000), Ten (123,000) and News 24, (99,000). An impressive audience of 1.275 million viewers in metro and regional markets and equal to what Nine would get on a dramatic day of an England Australia test with Australia winning, after a P. Hughes century!

Seven’s night in both metro and regional markets as The Chaser’s Media Circus shone as the beacon of good TV last night (but needs the audience from Mad As Hell as the lead in at 8pm, the QI repeat was OK, but the audience, like me, would have been a bit twee for the likes of The Chaser). QI had 945,000 viewers nationally, The Chaser had 830,000, around 200,000 less than when Shaun Micallef’s Mad As Hell was propping up the 8pm slot.

The digital channels in metro markets had a collective audience share last night of 34.6%, so the total audience was far more than that watching the networks main channels or the main channels plus the digital channels. In regional markets the digital channels share was a massive 37.8%. This cannibalisation sounds terrible, and it is for advertisers on the main channels, but the networks are ensuring that viewers don’t go elsewhere and firstly remain in the free TV area and secondly stay close to the networks. For example’s Seven’s digital channels (7TWO and 7mate) had a combined share of 11.2% in metro markets and 13.4% in the regionals. 17.6% of the TV audience was watching Foxtel, which is high, but well under its penetration of around 28%, and down on the 18% or more who watched on Sunday.

Network channel share:

  1. Seven (30.7%)
  2. Nine (25.5%)
  3. ABC (19.7%)
  4. Ten (19.2%)
  5. SBS (5.0%)

Network main channels:

  1. Seven (19.6%)
  2. Nine (17.2%)
  3. ABC (12.7%)
  4. Ten (12.0%)
  5. SBS ONE (4.0%)

Top 5 digital channels: 

  1. 7TWO (6.8%)
  2. GO (5.6%)
  3. ABC2 (4.6%)
  4. 7mate (4.4%)
  5. Eleven (4.3%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1. Nine News — 1.437 million
  2. Home and Away (Seven) — 1.291 million
  3. Seven News — 1.261 million
  4. ABC News — 1.083 million
  5. 7.30 (ABC) — 1.023 million
  6. Customs repeat (Nine) — 986,000
  7. Criminal Minds repeat (Seven) — 972,000
  8. Nine News 6.30 — 950,000
  9. QI repeat (ABC) — 945,000
  10. A Current Affair (Nine) — 940,000

Losers: Thank goodness for the lure of the digital channels and the final Chaser episode of this year. You’d love to see The Chasers examine some of the oddities which air from time to time in ABC TV News and on News 24 — sometimes earnestness is a crime.

Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Nine News — 977,000
  2. Seven News — 977,000
  3. Nine News 6.30 – 950,000
  4. Seven News/ Today Tonight — 882,000
  5. A Current Affair (Nine) – 795,000
  6. ABC News – 724,000
  7. 7.30 (ABC) — 691,000
  8. Ten Eyewitness News — 638,000
  9. The Project 7pm (Ten) — 568,000
  10. The Project 6.30pm (Ten) — 430,000

Morning TV:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) – 343,000
  2. Today (Nine) – 314,000
  3. The Morning Show (Seven) — 140,000
  4. News Breakfast (ABC  92,000 + 39,000 on News 24) — 131,000
  5. Mornings (Nine) — 103,000
  6. Studio 1o (Ten) — 48,000

Top five pay TV programs:

  1. The Flash (Fox8) – 129,000
  2. Modern Family (Fox8) — 90,000
  3. Family Guy (Fox8) – 61,000
  4. Paw Patrol (Nick Jr) – 56,000
  5. A League: Western Sydney. Brisbane (Fox Sports 4) — 55,000

*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.