The Meat Market ended last night with The Bachelor doing the deed and picking his choice cut. Next up The Meat Market 2 (AKA The Bachelorette). As a result, Ten won the main channels from Nine and Seven. Nine had won overall from Seven and Ten. Ten had the better of the demos, especially the younger ones. In the regions though it was a different story – Seven from Nine and Ten as The Bachelor was too close to home for many viewers.

The Bach’s final selection (sounds like race form, doesn’t it?) saw a very tasty 1.939 million viewers across the country watch a shower of rose petals (I think) and other stuff. The lead-up stuff averaged 1.596 million and were the most watched programs nationally and in the metros, but not in the regions where Seven’s The X Factor (12.383 million national) topped the night with 489,000 viewers to the Winners 457,000 and the finale’s usual 369,000. Seven’s Home and Away also out rated it in the regions with 474,000 viewers (all rusted on). Ten though was understandably cock-a-hoop, pointing out that ratings for the series were up 27%. And last night we saw a solid turn on of 340,000 or so people for the final selection/decision, which is a bullish point for the series.

Ten described the selection of the final female as “The Final Decision” and not as the networks usually do for reality programs, “Winner’s Announcement”. After last year’s contretemps over just who was “The Final Decision” and who chose whom, there was no real winner. So what will emerge in the next week as The Bach and his choice ‘get’ together? The 2016 Bachelorette? Will there be a ‘ritual’ spurning for post-show publicity, as there was last year (although that has benefited the spurned Sam Frost who is the first Bachelorette)? Next Wednesday is anyone is interested?

In the early evening Hot Seat on Nine with 576,000 metro viewers was back on top of the 5.30 part of Seven’s newbie, The Chase Australia with 546,000, which has lost more than 170,000 viewers since its debut on Monday. The Chase 5.30 though beat Hot Seat nationally, 879,000 viewers to 796,000.

In the mornings, Sunrise’s (374,000 viewers) travel stunt has kept it well in front of Today (300,000 metro viewers) and the Seven breakfast program looks like having its strongest week of the year. But the best performer of the week has been News Breakfast on the ABC and News 24. It did well again yesterday and is heading for what looks like its best weekly figures since starting

Network channel share:

  1. Nine (27.1%)
  2. Seven (25.9%)
  3. Ten (25.2%)
  4. ABC (16.2%)
  5. SBS (5.6%)

Network main channels:

  1. Ten (19.4%)
  2. Nine (18.8%)
  3. Seven(17.2%)
  4. ABC(10.9%)
  5. SBS ONE (4.1%)

Top digital channels: 

  1. 7TWO (5.5%)
  2. GO (5.0%)
  3. Gem (3.3%)
  4. ABC 2, 7mate, ONE (3.2%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1. The Bachelor – Final Decision (Ten) — 1.939 million
  2. The Bachelor Finale (Ten) — 1.596 million
  3. Nine News — 1.456 million
  4. Seven News – 1.390 million
  5. The X Factor (Seven) — 1.383 million
  6. Home and Away (Seven) — 1.237 million
  7. ABC News — 1.214 million
  8. Seven News/ Today Tonight — 1.109 million
  9. 7.30 (ABC) — 1.084 million
  10. A Current Affair (Nine) — 1.016 million

Top metro programs:

  1. The Bachelor – Final Decision (Ten) — 1.482 million
  2. The Bachelor Finale (Ten) — 1.228 million
  3. Nine News — 1.044 million

Losers: People who watched The Meat Market. There is more to life than hanging around watching through the front window of a Butcher’s Shop.Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Nine News — 1.044 million
  2. Seven News — 974,000
  3. Nine News (6pm) – 1.147 million
  4. Nine News 6.30 — 957,000
  5. 7pm ABC News  — 857,000
  6. A Current Affair (Nine) — 849,000
  7. 7.30 (ABC) — 737,000
  8. The Project 7pm (Ten) — 688,000
  9. Ten Eyewitness News — 533,000
  10. The Project 6.30pm (Ten) — 486,000

 

Morning TV:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) – 374,000
  2. Today (Nine) — 300,000
  3. News Breakfast (ABC 1,  107,000 + 61,000 on News 24) — 168,000
  4. The Morning Show (Seven) — 164,000
  5. Mornings (Nine) — 97,000
  6. Studio 1o (Ten) — 47,000

Top five pay TV programs:

  1. AFL: 360 (Fox Footy) — 115,000
  2. Village Vets Australia (LifeStyle) — 75,000
  3. The Simpsons (Fox8) —68,000
  4. Coronation Street (UKTV) — 59,000
  5. Eastenders (UKTV) — 54,000

*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.