The Winners: Seven News was tops with 1.390 million and Today Tonight was next with 1.333 million. The 7.30 episode of Two and a Half Men was or wasn’t a repeat, according to which guide you read. It averaged 1.291 million. Nine’s repeat of The Mentalist at 8.30pm averaged 1.236 million and A Current Affair was 5th at 6.30pm with 1.217 million. Nine News was 6th with 1.189 million and the 8pm repeat of The Bang Theory averaged 1.170 million viewers. The 7pm ABC News was 8th with 1.102 million. Next came the 7pm repeat of Two and a Half Men with 1.101 million, Australian Story was 10th with 1.048 million for the ABC at 8pm and Home and Away was 11th at 7pm for Seven with 1.014 million. The Biggest Loser was a bit stronger, 974,000 for Ten.

The Losers: Desperate Housewives, a fresh episode on Seven at 8.30pm, faded to 895,000 when the opposition was a repeat (The Mentalist) and not much else. It should have done better. It hurt Seven’s 9.30pm program, Brothers and Sisters, which averaged 842,000. Seven’s one off at 7.30pm, Out of the Wreckage: Plane Crash Survivors averaged 662,000. As a shaky flier, I can understand the low figure. Why be reminded that the things fall out of the sky or do run into the ground, or the sea?,

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally and in every market. ACA won Sydney and Melbourne, TT won Brisbane. Adelaide and Perth and so finished in front nationally. The 7.30 Report averaged 866,000, Four Corners, 804,000, Media Watch, 700,000. Lateline, 282,000, Lateline Business, 122,000. Ten News averaged 873,000, the late News/Sports Tonight, 234,000. SBS News at 6.30pm, 199,000, 152,000 for the late edition. 7am Sunrise, 362,000, 7am Today, 303,000.

The Stats:

FTA: Nine won with a combined overnight 6pm to midnight All People share of 30.0% from Seven with 27.1%, Ten with 18.3%, the ABC with 17.9% and SBS with 6.7%. Nine won Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne. Seven won Adelaide and Perth. Nine leads the week, 29.4% to 28.4% for Seven. The ABC finished well ahead of Ten in third place in Sydney.

Main Channel: Nine won with a combined overnight All People 6pm to midnight share of 27.5% from Seven with 22.9%, Ten on 17.2%, ABC 1 with 16.4% and SBS ONE with 6.2%. Nine won Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. Seven won Adelaide. ABC 1 finished third in Sydney ahead of Ten. Nine leads the week with a share of 25.7% with Seven on 24.9%.

Digital: 7TWO won this battle with a combined overnight All People 6pm to midnight share of 4.2%, from GO with 2.4%, ABC 2 and ONE on 1.1% each, SBS TWO with 0.6% and ABC 3 with 0.4%. The six digital channels had a total share of 9.8%. GO leads the week with a share of 3.8% from 7TWO with 3.5%.

Pay TV: Nine with a combined overnight All People 6pm to midnight share of 24.4%, from Seven with 22.1%, Pay TV on 16.8%, Ten on 14.9%, the ABC with 14.5% and SBS with 5.5%. The 11 FTA channels had a share of 83.2%, Pay TV, 16.8%.

Regional: A win to WIN/NBN with a combined overnight 6pm to midnight share of 30.3%, from Prime/7Qld with 25.7%, the ABC on 19.3%, SC Ten on 17.4% and SBS, 7.4%. WIN/NBN won the main channels with a share of 28.3%, from Prime/7Qld with 22.9% and the ABC on 17.7% and Ten on 16.8%. 7TWO won the digitals with 2.9% and NO on 1.9%.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Nine won on a night that is best forgotten, but then there will be plenty of those over Easter. The ABC showed why it was the network many viewers turn to in times of repeats etc on the commercials.

The ABC at least offered some new and factual material from 7pm onwards. Q&A did a bit better than I thought it would: the 542,000 was a solid figure and reflected the paucity on elsewhere around 9.30pm. Seven and Ten had fresh programs, Nine had repeats — and won. The ABC had fresh programming and it looked better for it.

TONIGHT: Top Gear on Nine at 7.30pm, Grey’s Anatomy on Seven at 8.30pm, Foreign Correspondent on the ABC at 8pm. Bondi Rescue on Ten at 8pm and The Biggest Loser at 7.30pm. Insight on SBS from 7.30pm.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports