Nine’s night in the metros, but not in the regionals where Seven was a very easy winner. That’s yet another example of the clear split between metro and regional viewers that many in TV ignore.

Seven’s new line up didn’t really grab metro viewers. Home and Away did OK nationally with 1.233 million viewers , but that was due to very strong support from regional viewers (524,000) than the metros where the program could only manage 709,000 — around 200,000 under what it was getting earlier in the year. For some reason the current storyline has not been taken to by core viewers in the metro markets. Australia: The Story of Us averaged 1.104 million, which was OK, but also down to strong support from regional viewers and the same could be said about Downton Abbey (1.041 million national viewers). Metro audiences for both of 653,000 and 640,000 were not strong.

So why did Nine do well in the metros? The news was the only program with a million or more viewers last night and beat Seven News by more than 100,000 viewers in the metros. ACA easily won the 7pm slot with Home and Away again weak. Nine’s 6.30 news half hour also beat Seven’s news and Today Tonight. Australia: The Story of Us and Downton Abbey did well, but Top Gear (with Clarkson) was competitive in both the metros and the regionals. But that strong support for Home and Away, Australia and Downton Abbey pushed Seven to an easy win in the regionals.

The Checkout on ABC at 8pm was also weaker than it has been — the 954,000 national viewers was OK, but it deserved more. Nine’s Footy Shows were weak. 808,000 national viewers (barely solid), 574,000 in the metros and 234,000 regional viewers was light on given the NRL and AFL seasons are both underway and there has been no shortage of issues and atrocities.

Gogglebox Australia finished this series on Ten  (the second will appear later in the year) with 793,000 national viewers. Solid.

Network channel share:

  1. Nine (28.6%)
  2. Seven (27.4%)
  3. Ten (20.5%)
  4. ABC (16.5%)
  5. SBS (7.0%)

Network main channels:

  1. Nine (20.1%)
  2. Seven (17.8%)
  3. Ten (13.4%)
  4. ABC (11.7%)
  5. SBS ONE (5.3%)

Top 5 digital channels: 

  1. 7TWO (6.3%)
  2. GO (5.2%)
  3. Eleven (4.1%)
  4. Gem (3.4%)
  5. 7mate (3.3%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1. Nine News — 1.458 million
  2. Home and Away (Seven) —  1.233 million
  3. Seven News —  1.186 million
  4. ABC News  –  1.177 million
  5. Australia: the Story Of Us (Seven) —  1.104 million
  6. A Current Affair (Nine) —  1.061 million
  7. 7.30 (ABC) —  1.038 million
  8. Downton Abbey (Seven) —  1.041 million
  9. Nine News 6.30 —  954,000
  10. The Checkout (ABC) —  926,000

Losers: Only one program  (Nine News) managed a million or more metro viewers last night. That, plus the fact that the combined share of the digital channels was 29.6% tell us just what viewers though of last night’s offerings on the main channels. Not even Downton Abbey could do the trick for Seven. Nine’s Footy Shows are hanging in there, but fading slowly like Manly’s chances in the NRL or the Gold Coast’s hopes this year in the AFL.Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Nine News —  1.026 million
  2. Nine News 6.30 —  954,000
  3. Seven News —  921,000
  4. A Current Affair (Nine) – 884
  5. Seven News/ Today Tonight –  868,000
  6. ABC News —  781,000
  7. 7.30 (ABC) —  671,000
  8. Ten Eyewitness News —  543,000
  9. The Project 7pm (Ten) —  496,000
  10. The Project 7pm (Ten) —  408,000

Morning TV:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) – 337,000
  2. Today (Nine) –  282,000
  3. News Breakfast (ABC 113,000 + 56,000 on News 24) —  169,000
  4. The Morning Show (Seven) —  158,000
  5. Mornings (Nine) — 114,000
  6. Studio 1o (Ten) —  57,000

Top pay TV channels:

  1. Fox 8  (4.7%)
  2. LifeStyle  (2.8%)
  3. TVHITS  (2.0%)
  4. Arena (1.6)
  5. UKTV, Discovery (1.6%)

Top five pay TV programs:

  1. AFL: 360 (Fox Footy) –  87,000
  2. The Simpsons (Fox8) —  86,000
  3. Grand Designs (lifeStyle) —  83,000
  4. The Simpsons (Fox8) – 82,000
  5. The Simpsons (Fox8) – 78,000

*Data © OzTAM Pty Limited 2015. 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.