The Winners: Top Gear averaged 1.680 million for the fresh episode from 7.30pm to 8.30pm. Ten’s NCIS was second at 8.30pm with 1.366 million, Seven News was third with 1.309 million (and losses in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to Nine). Today Tonight was next with 1.261 million. 6th was the second Top Gear special at 8.30pm (the one four years old and already seen on SBS). It averaged 1.240 million. My Kitchen Rules averaged 1.214 million at 7.30pm for Seven. A Current Affair was 8th with 1.1154 million and the 7 m repeat of Two and a Half Men got home for Nine with 1.085 million, just in front of Home and Away for Seven with 1.065 million. Bondi Rescue on Ten at 8pm, 966,000.

The Losers: Nothing really lost. Grey’s Anatomy averaged 888,000 for Seven from 8.30pm and got hit by viewer boredom and Top Gear. Neighbours remains weak on Ten at 6.30pm (588,000), but not in losing territory, yet. The Biggest Loser at 7.30pm for half an hour, 722,000. It’s more an afterthought at half an hour.

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally thanks to Adelaide and Perth where the margins were large. The losses in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane were notable for Seven for being so rare. More to come? The 7pm ABC News averaged 931,000, The 7.30 Report, 689,000. Lateline, 214,000, Lateline Business, 110,000. Ten News, 862,000, the late News/Sports Tonight, 349,000. SBS News, 190,000 at 6.30pm, 114,000 for the late edition. 7am Today, 370,000, 7am Sunrise, 344,000.

The Stats:

FTA: Nine won with a combined overnight 6 pm to midnight All People share of 32.7%, from Seven with 27.6%, Ten with 21.2%, the ABC with 14.4% and SBS with 4.1%. Nine won all five metro markets and leads the week 30.8% to 29.6% for Seven.

Digitally: 7TWO won with a share of 2.1% from Nine’s GO with 2.0%, ABC 2 with 1.0%, ABC 3, 0.5%, tied with Ten’s ONE and SBS TWO with 0.3%. Total share 6.4%, the lowest for some time. GO leads the week with a 3.0% share from 7 TWO with 2.7%.

Main Channels: Nine won with 30.8%, from Seven with 27.6%, Ten with 20.7%, ABC 1 with 12.9% and SBS ONE with 3.7%. Nine leads the week with 27.7% from Seven with a share of 26.9%.

Pay TV included: Nine with a combined overnight share of 27.0% won from Seven on 22.8%, Ten with 17.5%, Pay TV with 15.1%, the ABC, 11.9% and SBS with 3.4%. The 11 FTA channels had a share of 84.9%, Pay TV and its 100 plus channels, 15.1%.

Regionally: An easy win to WIN/NBN for Nine with a combined overnight share of 31.4%, from Prime/7Qld with 26.8%, Southern Cross (Ten) with 20.9%, the ABC with 15.4% and SBS on 5.5%.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Top Gear did the trick for Nine. In the end an easy win and Top Gear helped push up the games audience to 905,000. But no million viewer figure yet. There was no doubt that Top Gear is popular and Nine’s gazumping of SBS has paid off. But gee its formula-driven to old hand viewers. And to segue, as Nine did, between the fresh episode from 7.30pm to the second episode at 8.30pm, Nine cut out the closing part of the fresh episode, which is often the pull together for the previous 40 odd minutes of content. Odd. My Kitchen Rules for Seven was more of the same.

Next Tuesday there’s Twenty20 cricket and Top Gear returns the following week after the Games. The question now is how long it lasts and how Nine integrates the local version. Shane Warne remains the top tip for host.

Hot Seat on Nine with 620,000, beat deal on Seven on 523,000. A change is coming, I feel to this one. Nine News won Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane last night with the stronger lead in. Is the boot on the other foot for Seven? Seven can’t let this go on for much longer, there’s too much at stake.

TONIGHT: Poh’s Kitchen, Spicks and Specks on the ABC, Hungry Beast as well, At The Movies. RSPCA Animal Rescue, Criminal Minds on Seven. The Games on Nine, if you want. So You Think You Can Dance Australia on Ten, but I hope there’s more dance and less talk.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports