The Winners: Seven News was tops with 1.270 million viewers, Today Tonight was second with 1.163 million and Getaway was third with 1.109 million (its best so far in 2010). Nine News was 4th with 1.032 million, The Mentalist was 5th with 1.018 million at 8.30pm and A Current Affair was 6th with 1.114 million. Cougar Town averaged 916,000 at 8.30pm for Seven. How I Met Your Mother dropped to 788,000 at 9pm — there went Seven’s night. So You Think You Can Dance averaged 833,000. The Biggest Loser, 823,000. Adults Only 20 to 1, 692,000 at 9.30pm for Nine. Seven’s Deal or No Deal at 5.30pm, 585,000, Hot Seat at 5.30pm for Nine, 572,000.

The Losers: The whole night after the News and current affairs shows (and The 7.30 Report where Clark and Dawes were the best thing on the program all week).

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally and in every market. Today Tonight lost Sydney to ACA, but won elsewhere. TT lost viewers from Seven News, ACA added viewers from Nine News in Sydney. Odd. Ten News averaged 825,000 viewers, the late News/Sports Tonight, 254,000. 7pm ABC News, 975,000, The 7.30 Report, 682,000. Lateline, 215,000, Lateline Business, 104,000. Nightline on Nine, 209,000. SBS News at 6.30pm, 155,000, 141,000 for the late edition. 7am Sunrise, 357,000, 7am Today, 301,000.

The Stats:

FTA: Nine won with 6pm to midnight combined overnight All People share of 30.3%, from Seven with 27.5%, Ten with 21.0%, the ABC with 16.4% and SBS with 4.7%. Seven won Adelaide, Nine the rest. It now leads the week 30.4% to 30.1%.

Digital: With such rotten programs on the main channels, digital did well: Go had a combined overnight 6 pm to midnight All People share of 4.2%, 7TWO, was second with 3.0%, ABC 2, 1.7%, ONE, 1.1%, SBS TWO, 0.7%, ABC 3, 0.6%. 11.3 share for the six digital FTA channels. GO leads the week with 3.4% from 7TWO with 3.1%.

Main Channels: Nine won with a combined overnight share of 26.1%, from Seven with 24.6%, Ten with 19.9%, ABC 1, 14.1%, SBS, 4.0%. Nine leads the week 27.0% to 26.9% for Seven.

Pay TV: With Pay TV’s myriad channels, the shares were: Nine on top with a combined overnight share of 24.5%, Seven next with 22.2%, Pay TV with 17.3% (no wonder given the poor offerings on the FTA main channels), Ten with 16.0%, the ABC with 13.2% and SBS with 3.8%. The 11 FTA channels had a combined share of 82.7%, Pay TV and its 100 plus channels, the reported 17.3%

Regional: Nine won with WIN/NBN with a combined overnight All people 6 pm to midnight share 30.7%, from Prime/7Qld with 25.8%, the ABC with 19.0%, Southern Cross (Ten), with 18.8% and SBS with 5.7%. The Digital battle was won by GO with 3.1%, from 7TWO with 2.0% and ABC 2, 1.8%.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Last night was a black hole. Except for Getaway, it was a bit of a desert after 7pm (8pm for the ABC). Cougar Town is dying, as it should. The AFL and NRL Footy Shows resume on Nine next Thursday, be very, very scared — the boofs are coming back.

Seven said it won primetime in all key audience demographics: number 1 for 16-39s, 18-49s and 25-54s. Nine won All People.

Nine is promoting its V series remake for Sunday night. What they are not saying is that it was a fader in the US. Only four episodes aired last year and it lost 35% of its audience in that time. It was put on “hiatus” until March 30. Two more episodes will be broadcast. That was part of ABC’s plans and its fate won’t be known until the ratings are seen. Seven’s Flash Forward has yet to be picked up for a second season, but is apparently popular in Europe. In Australia it faded and got lost. V is a remake of a series from the 1980’s.

TONIGHT: Another wasteland. Silent Witness finishes up on ABC 1 at 8.30pm. Better Homes and Gardens on Seven. Some AFL on Seven in some markets. The Biggest Loser on Ten, repeats of NCIS and White collar in Ten. Don’t bother. There’s some Rugby Union on Pay TV.

SATURDAY: A repeat of Blue Murder on the ABC after The Bill. Charlie Wilson’s War on Seven at 8.30pm (learn why Afghanistan is like it is today). Nine wheels out Crocodile Dundee II from the vaults. It must be running short of movies suitable for a dead Saturday night. Ten repeats The Simpson’s Movie.

SUNDAY: Sunday Night at 6.30pm on Seven, Border Security at 7.30pm, Bones. 60 Minutes on Nine at 7.30pm has a profile on Tony Abbott with Liz Hayes  and a look at the Pel Air crash last year that Ben Sandilands has already explained to Crikey readers, but 60 Minutes thinks it’s got new stuff.

The ABC has the first of a three part series on the pre-Raphaelite painters. From what I’ve read, it sounds like either a pot boiler or interesting. If you are into art, tape of what Simon Schama’s The Power of Art at 3.30pm on ABC 1). It will be far more erudite, and informative. Ten has The Biggest Loser and The Good Wife, as well as Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports