Bad luck Ten. For all the brave talk of the rebound in audience numbers (which is still happening, such as the appalling mess of the network’s 2014 performance), last night will not go down as the one of the Network’s best Monday nights, easily beaten for third spot by the ABC (which came  very close to pipping Seven for second in the main channels in metro markets). Nine won the night in Total People, Masterchef Australia pushed Ten to a solid performance in the demos in the metros. In the regionals it was Seven easily from Nine with the ABC clearly third and Ten fourth. In the metro though it was again a split night — Nine won Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney, Seven won Brisbane and Perth. But in Sydney and Melbourne, ABC ended up second in the main channels, such as the weakness of Seven’s offerings for viewers in both markets last night.

House Rules was able to finish third nationally by virtue of 602,000 regional viewers on to of the 907,000 metro viewers. Masterchef Australia averaged 1.078 million metro, but only 344,000 regional viewers. Reno Rumble was left right out — its 1.048 million viewers (National) was well behind House Rules’ 1.509 million and Masterchef Australia’s 1.421 million.

At 6pm, Nine was very dominant in the news battle. Its 6pm News won Sydney by 100,000, Melbourne by 173,000 and Brisbane by 42,000 — a comprehensive shellacking of Seven. In the morning it was Sunrise with 310,000 metro viewers ahead of Today which again failed to fire and averaged 279,000 people.

The ABC’s line up last night was solid from the 7pm News right through to Q&A where we had the Speaker of the House of Reps Bronnie Bishop masquerading as an unbiased defender of parliamentary democracy. That must be the other Bronnie Bishop who was on Q&A last night,  the one who talks the talk and doesn’t rule the House of Reps in a rather bizarre, partial fashion. And to think the ABC invited her to defend the idea of parliamentary democracy and talk about the Magna Carta. There was more sense on the Magna Carta on The Drum last night, especially from Nicholas Cowdrey, the former NSW Director of Public Prosecutions (any why won’t John Barton, the current host of The Drum on some nights, shut up and let the talent comment? That’s what they are there for, not to make the host look clever).

Network channel share:

  1. Nine (28.7%)
  2. Seven (24.2%)
  3. ABC (21.8%)
  4. Ten (20.6%)
  5. SBS (4.6%)

Network main channels:

  1. Nine (20.7%)
  2. Seven (17.1%)
  3. ABC (17.0%)
  4. Ten (15.0%)
  5. SBS ONE (3.7%)

Top digital channels: 

  1. GO (4.6%)
  2. 7TWO (3.7%)
  3. 7mate, (Gem) 3.4%)
  4. ABC 2 (3.2%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1. Nine News – 1.685 million
  2. Married At First Sight (Nine) — 1.578 million
  3. House Rules (Seven) — 1.509 million
  4. Masterchef Australia (Ten) – 1.421 million
  5. Australian Story (ABC 1) — 1.335 million
  6. Home and Away (Seven) — 1.308 million
  7. Seven News — 1.300 million
  8. ABC News — 1.291 million
  9. A Current Affair (Nine) — 1.237 million
  10. Four Corners (ABC) — 1.048 million

Top metro programs:

  1. Nine News — 1.201 million
  2. Nine News 6.30 — 1.148 million
  3. Married At First Sight (Nine) — 1.079 million
  4. Masterchef Australia (Ten) — 1.078 million
  5. A Current Affair (Nine) — 1.035 million

Losers:  Anyone who was not watching the ABC last night (with the exception of Masterchef Australia). Is Married At First Sight the sequel to Love Child (Nine, tonight?)Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Nine News — 1.201 million
  2. Nine News 6.30 — 1.148 million
  3. A Current Affair (Nine) — 1.035 million
  4. Seven News — 990,000
  5. Seven News/ Today Tonight  – 953,000
  6. Australian Story (ABC) — 900,000
  7. ABC News — 852,000
  8. 7.30 (ABC) — 838,000
  9. Four Corners (ABC) – 836,000
  10. Media Watch (ABC) — 809,000

Morning TV:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) – 310,000
  2. Today (Nine) – 279000
  3. The Morning Show (Seven) –135,000
  4. News Breakfast (ABC 79,000 + 39,000 on News 24) — 118,000
  5. Mornings (Nine) — 115,000
  6. Studio 1o (Ten) — 64,000

Top pay TV channels:

  1. Fox Sports 1  (3.5%)
  2. showcase (3.2%)
  3. Nick Jr, LifeStyle (2.2%)
  4. TVHITS  (2.o%)

Top five pay TV programs:

  1. Game of Thrones (showcase) – 265,000
  2. NRL: Melbourne v Parramatta (Fox Sports 1) – 265,000
  3. Game of Thrones (showcase) – 254,000
  4. Monday Night With Matty Johns (Fox Sports 1) – 150,000
  5. AFL: 360 (Fox Footy) – 90,000

*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.