Seven’s night, easily as My Kitchen Rules, ruled. MKR had 1.425 million metro viewers — well ahead of any other program, giving Seven a sweeping win in metro and regional markets in total people and the major demos. Full national data was not available due to a delay in the delivery of regional figures.

Seven News was second in the metros — and for the first time in a long time, Seven had a metro clean sweep in the 6pm News battle with Nine, winning Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, as well as Adelaide and Perth. That will bring a smile to Craig McPerson, the network’s news and current affairs boss who appeared in print in The Australian this morning where the real concern — the weak start for Sunrise and the flagging performance of Weekend Sunrise, especially on Sundays — was skated over.

The 6pm winning performance happened without having The Chase Australia at 5pm and 5:30pm. This situation will change next week with the start of the NRL season this Thursday night on Nine and on Sunday. The AFL season is not due to start until later in March.

Seven returned Sunday Night (943,000 metro viewers) last night and it easily accounted for Nine’s 60 Minutes (781,000 metro) which has been back ticking away now for weeks.

Australia’s Got Talent and the elimination part of I’m A Celebrity on Ten tied in the metros with 713,000 viewers apiece. The rest of Celebrity averaged a weak 584,000 metro viewers.

Seven’s new digital channel, 7flix, started last night and grabbed a metro share of 2.3%. The new channel isn’t available yet on Prime and Southern Cross (which are Seven’s regional affiliates).

Seven won last week, easily, again. And Today and Sunrise dead heated in the metros with 317,000 viewers on average Monday Friday. The set remains a problem with Sunrise, so it this why our dynamic cast is off round Australia this week — away from the cold, flat, draining backdrop for a breakfast program. Perhaps there will be some renovations done while the cats are away by the mice left at home at HQ?

But Seven’s Weekend Sunrise copped a good towelling from Weekend Today on Nine yesterday — 298,000 to 242,000 in the metros. ABC’s Insiders was so far in front it wasn’t funny: 409,000 metro viewers alone. It’s a good thing Andrew Bolt is off air and working with the ABC — Insiders’ success would be embarrassing.

Network channel share:

  1. Seven (34.7%)
  2. Nine (24.1%)
  3. ABC (18.3%)
  4. Ten (16.9%)
  5. SBS (6.0%)

Network main channels:

  1. Seven (25.3%)
  2. Nine (16.4%)
  3. ABC (13.9%)
  4. Ten (12.4%)
  5. SBS ONE (4.5%)

Top 5 digital channels: 

  1. 7mate (4.1%)%)
  2. GO (3.1%)
  3. 7TWO, 9Life (3.0%)
  4. ONE (3.1%)

Top metro programs:

  1. MKR (Seven) — 1.425 million
  2. Seven News — 1.058 million
  3. Doc Martin (ABC) — 1.005 million

Losers: MKR is just too dominant.Metro news and current affairs:

  1.  Seven News — 1.058 million
  2.  Sunday Night (Sunday)  — 943,000
  3.  Nine News — 896,000 million
  4. 7pm ABC News — 792,000
  5. 60 Minutes (Nine) — 781,000
  6. Ten Eyewitness News — 334,000
  7. SBS World News — 191,000

Morning TV:

  1. Insiders (ABC, 256,000, News 24, 153,000) — 409,000
  2. Weekend Today (Nine) — 298,000
  3. Landline (ABC) — 283,000
  4. Weekend Sunrise (Seven) — 242,000
  5. Offsiders (ABC) — 163,000

Top five pay TV channels:

  1. Fox Footy (3.5%)
  2. Foxtel Movies Premiere (2.8%)
  3. Fox 8, TVHITS  (2.2%)
  4. LifeStyle  (1.7%)

Top five pay TV programs:

  1. AFL: NAB Challenge, Carlton v Essendon (Fox Footy) — 172,000
  2. AFL: NAB Challenge, Fremantle v Adelaide (Fox Footy) — 133,000
  3. Real Housewives of Melbourne (Arena) — 122,000
  4. Movie: Fast and Furious 7 (Foxtel Movies Premiere) — 111,000
  5. NCIS (TVHITS) — 59,000

*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.