The Winners: Ten wins the demos with the finale of Celebrity MasterChef Australia which was the most watched program with 1.295 million viewers for the two hours from 7.30pm. It was a solid episode. Seven News was second with 1.283 million and the Wednesday repeat of Border Security averaged 1.277 million at 7.30pm for Seven. Today Tonight was 4th with 1.242 million and the second fresh episode of Two and a Half Men at 8pm averaged 1.216 million. Home and Away was 6th at 7pm for Seven with 1.176 million and the 7.30pm fresh episode of Two and a Half Men averaged 1.113 million. Seven’s Medical Emergency averaged 1.066 million at 8pm and next was the 7pm repeat of Two and a Half Men averaged 1.029 million. City Homicide was 10th for Seven with 1.010 million at 8.30pm. RPA Where Are They Now averaged 910,000 for Nine at 8.30pm. Seven’s repeat of Criminal Minds averaged 941,000 at 8.30pm.

The Losers: ACA, 999,000, Nine News, 965,000. Now audience levels around this level are not losers, normally. But for years Nine News and ACA have been watched by more viewers. Figures of this level have become all too frequent for both programs this year. People in Perth and Adelaide will continue to be losers seeing a national program with a east coast bias.

White Collar on Ten at 9.30pm after MasterChef: 774,000. A bad omen for a new series on its first outing in Australia. It’s a summer program. Crime Investigation Australia finished on Nine with just 689,000 viewers at 9.30pm. Hungry Beast on the ABC at 9 pm, 446,000, John Safran at 9.30pm, 402,000. Both new lows for audiences.

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally and in every market as did Today Tonight. Nine News and ACA were very weak in Sydney and Brisbane. Better in Melbourne, as is now usual. The 7pm ABC News in Sydney averaged 269,000, Nine News 261,000, Seven News in Sydney, 325,000. Nine News was read by Georgie Gardiner in Sydney. The 7pm ABC News had a national audience of 883,000. The 7.30 Report, 627,000 (which was low given the dramas of yesterday and the day before). Lateline, 222,000, Lateline Business, 109,000. Ten News averaged 671,000, the late News/Sports Tonight, 2763,000. SBS News at 6.30pm, 136,000, the 9.30pm edition, 172,000. 7am Sunrise, 355,000, 7am Today, 294,000.

The Stats: Seven won 6pm to midnight All People with a combined share of 29.9% (30.2% a week ago), from Nine with 26.7% (25.6%), Ten with 25.1% (23.5%), the ABC with 14.2% (16.2%) and SBS with 4.2% (4.5%). Seven won all five metro markets and leads the week 30.7% to 27.3% for Nine.

In regional areas a win to Prime/7Qld with 27.5%, from WIN/NBN with 26.8%, Southern Cross (ten) with 26.0%), the ABC with 14.1% and SBS with 5.6%.

Digitally: Nine’s Go won with 3.00% (Nine’s main channel was on 23.60%), from 7TWO with 1.90% (Seven’s main channel was on 28.00%), ABC 2 with 1.80% (ABA 1 with 12.40%), Ten’s ONE on 0.60% (Ten’s main channel with 24.40%), SBS TWO with 0.40%, SBS ONE with 3.80%.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Well, Seven might have won last night, but even in the last week of the ratings year Nine pulled a program from its schedule last night. It has placed What’s Good For You This Summer at 8pm, but a fresh episode of Two and a Half Men appeared in its place and did better (and will become 2010’s repeats at 7pm)

But the big news in TV is that the Nine Network has axed A Current Affair in Adelaide and Perth. Now seeing they are on stations owned by WIN Corporation, that’s a bit odd. People in Perth will get Tracy Grimshaw full time and all those interesting stories from Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.

But that’s the story. Both were local versions of the program to match those of Seven’s Today Tonight. Both had made gains against TT this year as WIN spent a bit more time and effort, in Perth the gains were of the order of 40% more viewers some nights. But with WIN CEO David Butorac  leaving, WIN owner, Bruce Gordon, seems to have removed anyone with TV knowledge.

TONIGHT: Only two sleeps to go and it’s the end of the 2009 ratings battle. To keep us all enthralled tonight the networks are offering the usual collection of late season dross. Perhaps Glee and Rush on Ten from 7.30pm to 9.30pm stand out as being moderately entertaining, as does Getaway on Nine at 7.30pm. If you like Barnsie, Farnsie and all the other pops and popettes from music, then the ARIA awards are your destination on Nine at 8.30pm. Seven should be avoided, but if you are into self delusion of a TV kind, then the final episode of Beauty and The Geek Australia at 8.30 m is your destination.

Watch the Walkley’s on SBS (the media awards) from 10pm to see how the media can’t organise entertaining TV in a fit.

By the way, there’s cricket on right now which might end up being the highlight of the entire day of TV today, tomorrow and for the rest of this year!

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports