The Winners: City Homicide averaged a high 1.854 million at 8.30pm for Seven, with Border Security rising on last week to average 1.813 million at 7.30pm for Seven. The Force at 8pm on Seven averaged 1.730 million and Seven News was 4th with 1.568 million. Today Tonight was 5th with 1.366 million, just ahead of a strong A Current Affair with 1.329 million. Seven’s Bones averaged 1.317 million at 9.30pm and Home and Away averaged 1.294 million at 7pm for Seven. 9th was Nine News with 1.267 million and the repeat of Two and a Half Men averaged 1.242 million at 7pm for Nine and 10th spot. The 7pm ABC News averaged 1.167 million and the live verdict of Australian Idol averaged 1.009 million at 7.30pm to around 8.45pm. Top Gear on SBS at 7.30pm averaged 909,000. The Life of Mammals on Nine at 7.30pm averaged 926,000, Australian Story (which was very, very sad) averaged 915,000 and Enough Rope averaged 902,000 at 9.35pm.

The Losers: Nine’s movie: Something’s Gotta Give, 732,000 for well over two and a half hours. Nice movie, but movies are now a network’s admission of failure, not a go to ratings card to get out of a hole in the schedule. The Ten scheme for prime time last night was a loser: Australian Idol was barely OK at just over 1 million. 90210; 816,000, down from the 837,000 of the debut last week. That’s not even good enough to justify in terms of demographics. Taken Out, on Ten at 7pm, 590,000. Shoot, it please — it’s giving dating games a bad name.

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally and in every market but Today Tonight lost Melbourne and Brisbane by big margins and needed the big Perth winning margin to climb over ACA nationally. Ten News averaged 943,000 and the late News/Sports Tonight averaged 322,000. The 7.30 Report, 790,000, Four Corners, 821,000, Media Watch, 775,000, Lateline, 349,000. Lateline Business, a high 201,000 (and good figures as people tuned in for the latest in the markets turmoil). SBS News at 6.30pm, 266,000, the 9.30pm edition, 176,000. 7am Sunrise on Seven, 368,000, 7am Today, 287,000.

The Stats: Seven won with a share of 34.6% (33.4% a week ago) with Nine second on 22.4% (21.8%), the ABC third with 18.2% (19.7%), Ten down on 16.8% (17.8%) and SBS on 8.0% (7.3%). Seven won all five metro markets and has moved to the lead in the week’s battle 28.4% to 26.2% for Nine. Seven will move further ahead tonight. In regional areas a win for Prime/7Qld with 34.1%, with WIN/NBN second with 23.4%, the ABC third with 18.3%, Southern Cross (Ten) with 15.5% and SBS with 8.8%.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: An ugly night for Nine and Ten after they basked in the joys of whacking Seven on Sunday night. Ten last night had one of its lowest Monday night shares for a considerable period of time as nothing worked. Nine wasn’t far behind as the stop gap movie tanked, doing as well as the now semi-boned Kitchen Nightmares did in the 8.30pm timeslot a week ago.

For Nine it was an enormous loss of confidence and they will have as many post mortems today as Seven is having about Dancing With The Stars‘ performance on Sunday night. Nine might be comforted by a small lift in share: it shouldn’t be as Seven built on what has already been a dominant performance on Monday nights.

Top Gear again made a mess of The 7.30 Report audience. Not even the prospect of a Liberal party challenge could get people to watch Red Kerry looked slightly stunned that Mr Nelson was doing this and not coming on his program. Certainly it was so closely guarded that Seven and Nine missed the story and Laurie Oakes’ daily report was buried in the line up at Nine. The local producers of Top Gear have started shooting the links at a huge hanger at a Sydney suburban airport, after doing the road tests on a rarely used airport runway. It’s due to start a fortnight last night on September 29. Comparisons are odious at the best of times, but they will be made between the local presenters and those from the BBC program (who are here for a stage show as well in the next six months. Fancy that!).

City Homicide was quite strong with overtones of Ivan Milat and other nutters. A bit conventional in places, but a far superior cop drama to Rush on Ten tonight and The Strip on Nine on Thursday.

Tonight: Seven with RSPCA Animal Rescue/Find My Family/Packed To The Rafters/All Saints — and that will be the week, again. Nine battles with Wipeout, and three episodes of Two and a Half Men, one fresh, two repeats and has 20 to 1 at 9.30pm. Ten has three episodes of The Simpsons, one fresh, two repeats, plus Taken Out, plus NCIS, plus Rush and Neighbours. Two For The Top End at 8pm on the ABC is worth a first up glance. Insight on SBS looks at “courage” at 7.30pm.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports