A big win for Seven as it experienced the same level of shock this morning as Seven did yesterday. Seven was very surprised to see the way the audience, especially in metro markets, failed to support their expensive Australia: the Story of US. This morning Nine will be shattered to see that viewers deserted Gallipoli in its second outing last night — the audience collapsed to 942,000 for last night’s national audience — 580,000 in the metros and 361,000 in the regions. That was around 400,000 less than the average for the launch and first episode the week before. Compared to the 1.592 million for the launch episode, last night’s average audience was a fall of a massive 660,0000. That’s a big concern for Nine and a sadness seeing the quality of the program.

Seven had a big win in metro and regional markets thanks to My Kitchen Rules (2.458 million national viewers) and the weakness of The Block and Gallipoli, which sort of handed the night to Seven. The ABC was a strong third, Ten a deserved weak fourth.

Four Corners (1 million national viewers) again showed up the blinkered, formulaic thinking at A Current Affair, Nine News and Seven News. A quickly put together, powerful expose, well done, and right on the pace, exposing the grubby and despicable activity that greyhound racing — or rather it’s the humans involved that are grubs and abusers — from the bogan trainers and owners and their associates and the regulators who do nothing. Governments can quite easily bring them under control by cutting betting tax distributions, as can the likes of Tabcorp and other betting groups — that’s if they want to. To do nothing is to condone the cruelty and needless killing of animals and abuse of the dogs as well (they shoot old greyhounds). Time for action at a few company annual meetings, I think.

And Australian Story (1.516 million national viewers) answered why the Leyland Brothers broke up and got the payoff for an excellent, disinterested story with a very solid audience (and it’s another rebuke to the commercial networks and the Murdoch and Fairfax tabloids whose editors  and producers either forgot, didn’t know who the Leyland Brothers were, or didn’t have the trust of the family). Q&A with Lord Turnbull of Point Piper/Wentworth had another big night with 1.288 million national viewers. 7.30 with its solid political coverage had 1.245 million.

Ten simulcast I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here on its main channel and ONE yesterday, so the figures last night are not strictly comparable with a week ago, and Sunday night (which were not comparable with last week with the multiple simulcast on the main channel, ONE and Eleven). It didn’t really work, the figures for last night were not good, but enough to keep it on air. Ten was whacked by the ABC last night. I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here had 844,000 national viewers last night — but how many were on the main channel?

And Financial Review Sunday will be back on Nine after Easter, along with the Easter Bunny.

Network channel share:

  1. Seven (33.7%)
  2. Nine (24.0%)
  3. ABC (21.3%)
  4. Ten (16.6%)
  5. SBS (4.3%)

Network main channels:

  1. Seven (25.9%)
  2. Nine (17.1%)
  3. ABC (16.7%)
  4. Ten (17.1%)
  5. SBS ONE (3.5%)

Top digital channels: 

  1. 7TWO (4.2%)
  2. GO, 7mate (3.6%)
  3. Gem (3.4%)
  4. ONE (2.4%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1. My Kitchen Rules (Seven) – 2.458 million
  2. Nine News — 1.545 million
  3. Australian Story (ABC) — 1.516 million
  4. Home and Away (Seven) — 1.479 million
  5. Seven News — 1.327 million
  6. Q&A (ABC) — 1.288 million
  7. ABC News — 1.266 million
  8. 7.30 (ABC) — 1.245 million
  9. A Current Affair (Nine) — 1.127 million
  10. The Block (Nine) — 1.119 million

Top metro programs:

  1. My Kitchen Rules (Seven) – 1.688 million
  2. Nine News — 1.100 million
  3. Nine News 6.30 — 1.071 million
  4. Australian Story (ABC) — 1.027 million

Losers: Anyone who missed Australian Story and Four Corners  on ABC 1 and Gallipoli on Nine.Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Nine News — 1.100 million
  2. Nine News 6.30 — 1.071 million
  3. Australian Story (ABC) — 1.027 million
  4. Seven News — 998,000
  5. Seven News/ Today Tonight — 975,000
  6. A Current Affair (Nine) – 954,000
  7. Q&A (ABC 769,000, 124,000 on News 24) — 893,000
  8. 7.30 (ABC) — 838,000
  9. ABC News  – 830,000
  10. Media Week (ABC) — 735,000

Morning TV:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) – 358,000
  2. Today (Nine) – 289,000
  3. The Morning Show (Seven) — 156,000
  4. News Breakfast (ABC 1,  87,000 + 51,000 on News 24) — 138,000
  5. Mornings (Nine) — 131,000
  6. Studio 1o (Ten) — 53,000

Top five pay TV channels:

  1. Sports 3 (2.8%)
  2. TVHITS  (2.2%)
  3. UKTV (2.1%)
  4. Fox8 (2.0%)
  5. Nick Jr (1.9%)

Top five pay TV programs:

  1. Cricket World Cup: West Indies v Ireland (Fox Sports 3) — 85,000
  2. The Walking Dead (FX) – 70,000
  3. New Tricks (UKTV) – 6,000
  4. The Walking Dead (FX) – 66,000
  5. EastEnders (UKTV) — 63,000

*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.