The Winners: Seven News topped the most watched list with 1.495 million people, with Today Tonight next with 1.360 million and Customs on Nine at 8pm, which averaged 1.295 million in 3rd. A Current Affair was 4th with 1.203 million, Nine News was next with 1.179 million and 6th was the 7.30pm episode of Two and a Half Men with 1.123 million. The Biggest Loser averaged 1.114 million for Ten at 7.30pm (its second million plus audience in a row) and Spicks and Specks was 8th with 1.109 million for the ABC at 8.30pm. Two and a Half Men averaged 1.086 million for the 7pm repeat. Home and Away averaged 1.076 million at 7pm and the 7pm ABC News averaged 1.019 million. The Cold Case episode at 8.30pm averaged 993,000 for Nine. So You Think You Can Dance Australia averaged 966,000 from 8pm, The 7pm Project, 795,000. The 7.30 Report averaged 813,000 and had more viewers than Seven’s Life After People, 670,000.

The Losers: Life After People, Seven’s repeat at 7.30pm (it ran 90 minutes), averaged 670,000 viewers and if there’s a better example of a network saying to viewers “we don’t care about you, its non-ratings,” — it was this. The New Inventors at 8pm on the ABC, 670,000, rapidly becoming the nearly invisible inventors. Seven’s movie, Saving Private Ryan, 519,000 from 9pm. Very poor. Does that mean the Seven audience for The Pacific is not going to be interested ? Maybe not, but Saving Private Ryan was ratings spakfilla for Seven last night.

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally and in every market and Today Tonight won everywhere bar Melbourne where ACA got up. Lateline averaged 226,000 for the ABC and Lateline Business, 112,000. Nine’s Nightline, 177,000. Ten News, 868,000, the late News/Sports Tonight, 245,000. SBS News at 6.30pm, 172,000, 138,000 for the late edition. 7am Sunrise, 371,000, 7am Today, 305,000.

The Stats:

FTA: Nine won with a share of 29.5%, from Seven with 26.6%, Ten with 22.4%, the ABC with 17.3% and SBS with 4.3%. Nine won Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Seven won Adelaide and Perth. Nine leads the week, 28.3% from Seven with 26.9%.

Main Channel: Nine won the night with 26.6% (which equalled Seven’s total share for the night), from Seven with 24.1%, Ten with 20.3%, ABC 1 with 15.1%, and SBS ONE with 3.8%. Nine won Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Seven won Adelaide and Perth. Nine leads the week, 24.8% to 24.0% for Seven.

Digital: GO won with a share of 2.9%, from 7TWO with 2.4%, ONE with 2.1%, ABC 2, 1.8%, SBS TWO, 0.4% and ABC 3, 0.3%. The six FTA digital channels had a combined share of 9.9%. GO leads the week with a share of 3.4% from 7TWO with 2.9% and ONE with 2.4%.

Pay TV: Nine won with a share of 23.7%, from Seven with 21.4%, Ten with 18.0%, Pay TV, 17.2%, the ABC, 13.9% and SBS, 3.4%. The 11 FTA channels had a total share of 82.8%, Pay TV’s 100-plus channels had 17.2%.

Regional: A win for Nine through WIN/NBN with 29.9%, from Prime/7Qld with 27.0%, the ABC with 19.7%, SC Ten with 17.8% and SBS, 5.5%. WIN/NBN won the main channels with a share of 27.9% from Prime/7Qld with 25.8%. GO won the digitals with 2.0%, from ABC 2 with 1.7%, 7TWO with 1.3% and ONE with 1.2%.

(Based on combined overnight 6pm to midnight All People shares)

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Last Night: Nine won easily after Seven ran dead again. And that was the night.

Hungry Beast wasn’t bad. A bit Chaser-ish in places, but more originality. There’s the making of a solid program in there. Has the ABC any plans for the people on the program when this series finishes next week? It was claimed when the idea was announced last year that the 19 people recruited were being done so on the basis of developing new talent for the ABC to use in other areas later on. How late is later on is a good question.

The ABC has no money for any new programs for any of the Beasties. Some of the Beasties show considerable promise. When Hungry Beast ends with it goes the ABC’s second most popular program (after Spicks and Specks) with 16 to 39 viewers. So the national broadcaster’s viewer profile will once get older, despite gains on ABC 2.

By the way the ABC is having trouble finding the national controller for ABC 1, its key channel. Lots of approaches have been made, no bites, so job ads will run next week.

TONIGHT: Football shows on Seven at 7.30pm and on Nine at 9.30pm. the first full NRL/AFL same night head to head battle). Nine has a repeat of The Mentalist as well and Getaway. The ABC has very little and Ten has a repeat of Law and Order SVU after So You Think You Can Dance Australia and The Biggest Loser. SBS has Italian Food Safari and Costa’s Garden Odyssey.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports