Insiders host David Speers (Image: ABC)

So was I watching a panel show on Sky News yesterday morning? It looked and sounded like it — Simon Benson and Annika Smethurst from News Corp papers on the panel along with first timer, Bridget Brennan from the ABC.

Couldn’t the ABC have found an independent journalist to even the balance — why two News Corp journalists when they have their own, walled-off panel shows in Sky News? News Corp won’t invite ABC journalists onto its political panels on Sky News, so why does the ABC offer News Corp’s political journalists the publicity that goes with being watched by more than 600,000 people on Sunday mornings (instead of the 20,000 to 50,000 at most for Sky News)? 

In the evening, Big Brother proved to be a one-week wonder. Bye bye Seven’s rating revival after The Voice (1.35 million on Nine) and Masterchef (1.22 million on Ten) easily squashed the start of week two of the suddenly-weak ‘reality’ program.

The BB eviction fell under a million viewers to 991,000 last night and the lead-up dropped to 978,000.

Nine won easily from Seven and Ten. Seven’s ratings drought resumes after ratings flops like My Kitchen Rules and House Rules. Like those two, Big Brother cannot remain under one million viewers an episode and be called a success, not for the sort of money Seven is paying.

In the regions, Seven News, 562,000, Seven News 6.30, 406,000, The Voice, 428,000, 7pm ABC News, 363,000, 60 Minutes 359,000.

Network channel share:

  1. Nine (32.0%)
  2. Seven (25.1%)
  3. Ten (20.7%)
  4. ABC (15.0%)
  5. SBS (7.2%)

Network main channels:

  1. Nine (24.0%)
  2. Seven (18.3%)
  3. Ten (15.6%)
  4. ABC (11.4%)
  5. SBS ONE (4.0%)

Top 5 digital channels: 

  1. 10 Bold (3.4%)
  2. 7mate (3.0%)
  3. GO (2.9%)
  4. 7TWO (2.7%)
  5. Gem (2.4%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1. Seven News — 1.71 million
  2. Nine/NBN News — 1.47 million
  3. The Voice (Nine) — 1.35 million
  4. Masterchef Australia (Ten) — 1.22 million
  5. 60 Minutes (Nine) — 1.19 million
  6. 7pm ABC News — 1.04 million
  7. Big Brother — Eviction (Seven) — 991,000
  8. Big Brother (Seven) — 978,000
  9. Nine Late News — 859,000
  10. Grand Designs (ABC) — 756,000

Top metro programs:

  1. Seven News — 1.15 million
  2. Nine News — 1.06 million

Losers: Big Brother going on Seven

Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Seven News — 1.15 million
  2. Nine News — 1.06 million
  3. 7pm ABC News – 671,000
  4. Nine News Late — 625,000
  5. The Project 7pm (Ten) — 501,000
  6. 10 News First — 330,000
  7. The Project 6.30 (Ten) — 320,000
  8. SBS World News — 190,000

Morning (National) TV:

  1. Insiders (ABC, ABC News) — 628,000
  2. Landline (ABC) — 449,000
  3. Weekend Sunrise (Seven) – 426,000
  4. Weekend Today (Nine) — 279,000 
  5. Offsiders (ABC) — 277,000
  6. Sports Sunday (Nine) — 208,000

Top five pay TV programs: 

  1. AFL: Sydney v Essendon (Fox Footy) — 255,000
  2. NRL: St George v Cronulla (Fox League) — 243,0003
  3. AFL: St Kilda v Bulldogs (Fox Footy) — 219,000
  4. AFL: GWS v North Melbourne (Fox Footy) — 125,000
  5. NRL: Pre-Game (Fox League) — 113,000