The Winners: NCIS was the most watched program on Ten at 8.30pm with 1.517 million viewers. Seven’s My Kitchen Rules was second with 1.462 million. Top Gear was third for Nine at 7.30pm with 1.326 million viewers. Seven News was 4th with 1.301 million people (and losses in Melbourne and Brisbane). Today Tonight was next with 1.296 million (and a loss in Sydney to ACA). The 7pm repeat of Two and a Half Men on Nine averaged 1.135 million and Nine News was 7th with 1.114 million viewers. Home and Away was next with 1.105 million. A Current Affair was 9th with 1.102 million, Grey’s Anatomy was 10th with 1.050 million at 8.30pm for Seven and the 7pm ABC News averaged 1.007 million for 11th spot.

The Losers: Ten perked up, NCIS is its sole strength each week. The Survivor concept is dead in Australia, and died a bit more last night. Nine ran Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains last night from 8.40pm to 10.30pm: just 698,000 viewers, it will be luck to stay in the schedule by tonight. That’s a very slow ratings death. The Biggest Loser, 742,000 for the half hour episode from 7.30pm. Beaten by The 7.30 Report, with 795,000 viewers. That makes The Biggest Loser a very big loser. Ten’s NCIS Los Angeles repeat at 9.30pm, 746,000. The audience halved from NCIS.

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally and in every market but Melbourne and Brisbane. TT won nationally but lost Sydney to ACA. The 7.30 Report averaged 795,000. Foreign Correspondent at 8pm with 769,000. Lateline, 235,000, Lateline Business, 133,000. Ten News averaged 812,000, 405,000 for the late News/Sports Tonight. SBS News at 6.30pm, 134,000, 156,000 for the late edition, Insight at 7.30pm, 180,000. Nine’s Nightline, 153,000. 7am Sunrise, 375,000, 7am Today, 293,000.

The Stats:

FTA: Seven won the night with a combined overnight 6pm to midnight All People share of 30.4% from Nine with 27.0%, Ten with 22.2%, the ABC with 16.8% and SBS with 3.7%. Nine won Sydney, Seven won the rest. Seven leads the week, 30.5% to 29.4%. Seven won all the major demos besides All People last night.

Main Channels: Seven won with a combined overnight share of 28.4% from Nine with 24.6%, Ten with 21.8%, the ABC with 15.1% and SBS with 3.1%. Nine won Sydney, Seven won the other metro markets. Seven leads the week 27.9% to Nine with 26.6%.

Digital: GO won with a combined overnight share of 2.4$, from 7TWO with 2.0%, ABC 2, 1.1%, SBS TWO with 0.6% and ABC 3 and ONE with 0.5% each. That’s a total share of 7.1% for the six digital FTA channels. GO leads the week with 2.8% from 7TWO with 2.5%.

Pay TV: Seven won with a combined overnight share of 25.0%, from Nine with 22.3%, Ten with 18.3%, Pay TV, 15.1%, the ABC with 13.8% and SBS with 3.0%. The 11 FTA channels had a share of 84.9%, Pay TV and its 1090 plus channels had 15.1%.

Regional: Seven won with Prime/7QLd with a combined overnight All people 6 pm to midnight share of 27.5% from WIN/NBN with 26.4%, Southern Cross (Ten), with 22.4%, the ABC with 17.8% and SBS with 5.9%. The main channels was won by Prime/7Qld with 26.2% from WIN/NBN with 24.3%. GO won the digital battle, 2.1% from 7TWO with 1.3% and ABC 2 with 1.1%.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Top Gear is no longer as popular as it was for Nine, but has probably stabilised around the still sold 1.3 million plus. My Kitchen Rules (a clone of MasterChef) beat it and proved that food well done will beat boys’ toys. MKR is now going to a second series, which Seven announced late yesterday, but after calling for new contestants in on air promos during the afternoon. MKR was the top program amongst women viewers 16 to 54, Top Gear among men 16 to 54. MKR beat Top Gear by 146,000 viewers nationally. Women viewers ruled the remote last night.

What I want to know about the people on MKR is, if they like cooking so much, why turn it into a competition and why play by the rules of big time big city chefs? Home cooked food is supposed to be different to restaurant food. Not better, not worse, but different, with dinner parties etc designed for the company as much as the food. So why the rush to go public and produce food that you wouldn’t normally do, or is it all about competition and the food comes second?

TONIGHT: Gee not much, Spicks and Specks on the ABC at 8.30pm, Criminal Minds on Seven at 8.30pm. RPA on Nine at 8.30pm (watch to keep it alive). So You Think You Can Dance on Ten.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports