The Winners:

Seven News and Today Tonight were again weak in Sydney, but stronger in Melbourne. ACA was noticeably weaker in Brisbane. Glee ended the season with its highest audience so far.

  1. MasterChef (Ten) (7.30pm) — 2.143 million
  2. Glee (Ten) (8pm) — 1.620 million
  3. Seven News (6pm) — 1.437 million
  4. Today Tonight (Seven) (6.30pm) — 1.321 million
  5. Nine News (6pm) — 1.240 million
  6. A Current Affair (Nine) (6.30pm) — 1.116 million
  7. Sea Patrol (Nine) (8.30pm) — 1.044 million
  8. Home and Away (Seven) (7pm) — 1.009 million
  9. Two and a Half Men (Nine) (7pm) — 1.008 million
  10. ABC News (7pm) — 1.001 million

The Losers: Seven, except for an hour in Sydney and Brisbane at 7.30pm with the Matty Johns Show. Another depressing night, but up again MasterChef and Glee, it was always going to be tough. Getaway on Nine, 716,000. Normally that’s weak for an established program, but look at the competition — MasterChef.

News & CA:

  1. Seven News (6pm) — 1.437 million
  2. Today Tonight (Seven) (6.30pm) — 1.321 million
  3. Nine News (6pm) — 1.240 million
  4. A Current Affair (Nine) (6.30pm) — 1.116 million
  5. ABC News (7pm) — 1.001 million
  6. Ten News (5pm) — 896,000
  7. The 7.30 Report (ABC) (7.30pm) — 685,000
  8. Ten late News/Sports Tonight (10.30pm) — 345,000
  9. Lateline (ABC) (10.30pm) — 222,000
  10. SBS News (6.30pm) — 192,000
  11. Lateline Business (11.05pm) — 129,000

Mornings:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) (7am) — 344,000
  2. Today (Nine) (7am) — 303,000

Talk persists that Ten is looking at perhaps extending its 5pm News to 6.30pm and putting Sports Tonight in at 6.30pm instead of the fading Neighbours. Two hours of sport and news is a big ask. What Ten really needs is a fresh, up to date soap at 6.30pm. Sports Tonight won’t cut it, Neighbours will do better.

The Stats:

  • FTA: Ten was the easy winner, thanks to MasterChef. and Glee. Ten finished with a share of 28.5%, from Nine with 26.4%, Seven on 22.9%, the ABC with 16.6% and SBS on 5.6%. Nine leads the week with 27.8%, from Seven with 25.6% and Ten on 25.0%. Ten won everything.
  • Main Channel: Ten won here with a share of 27.8%, from Nine with 22.1%, Seven on 19.9%, ABC 1, 13.3% and SBS ONE, 5.1%. Nine leads the week with 24.5%, from Ten with 24.1% and Seven on 22.4%.
  • Digital: GO won the night with a share of 4.4%, from TWO on 3.0%, ABC 2, 2.5%, ABC 3, 0.8%, ONE on 0.7% and SBS TWO, 0.5%. That’s a total share of 11.9% for the six FTA digital channels. Adelaide had the highest share with the digital channels totalling 15.7%.
  • Pay TV: Ten won with 23.9%, from Nine on 22.2%, Seven on 19.2%, the ABC, 13.9%, Pay TV’s 100 plus channels, 13.7%, and SBS, 4.7%. The 11 FTA channels totalled 86.3%.
  • Regional: A big win to WIN/NBN for nine with a share of 29.2%, SC Ten on 25.5%, Prime/7Qld on 23.3%, the ABC was on 16.9% and SBS, 5.1%. WIN/NBN won the main channels with 25.4%, from SC Ten on 25.0%. GO won the digitals with 3.8%, from 7TWO on 3.4% and ABC 2 on 2.0%. WIN/NBN leads the week with a share of 31.8%, from Prime/7Qld with 25.1%.

Major Markets:

  • Sydney: It was Ten, Nine, Seven in that order, overall and for the main channels. GO won the digitals from 72 and ABC 2, Nine leads the week from Ten and Seven.
  • Melbourne: The same in Melbourne for the overall, main channels and digitals, while Nine leads the week from Ten and Seven.
  • Brisbane: Ten, Nine and Seven overall, but the main channels saw Ten win from Seven and Nine and GO win the digitals from ABC 2 and 7TWO. The week is the same as in the south, Nine leads from Ten and Seven.
  • Adelaide: Ten, Nine and Seven overall, with Ten winning the main channels from seven and Nine and GO the digitals channels from 7TWO and ABC 2. Seven leads the week from Ten and Nine.
  • Perth: Seven won here from Ten and Nine. That was the same order for the main channels, GO won the digitals from 7TWO and ABC 2. Seven leads the week from Ten and Nine.

(All shares on the basis of combined overnight 6pm to midnight All People)

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Shock of the year, Marion, the favourite, gone from the MasterChef! Bookies clean up as she was the hot pot to snare MasterChef 2. Tough as it was, it will add to the standing of the program. Predictably, there was plenty of wailing on the forums and chat sites, but people will continue watching.

What was amusing is the suggestion in some newspapers that the ousting could be bad for ratings. Now watch for “My Agony” stories as Nine and Seven, their magazine programs and New Idea and Woman’s Day etc try to get Marion’s story.

And its’ no wonder these fading magazines and once were great TV current affairs programs want to chase MasterChef. Last night’s elimination averaged a 2.143 million, the best this year and the third 2 million plus audience this week. All that interest and potential readers and viewers, and all on Ten!

It was farewell to Glee last night, which is sad.

Keep an eye out for a new UK Police drama called Identity. It debuted Monday night in Britain on ITV and averaged just under 6 million viewers. It looks at identity fraud and stealing people’s lives, a modern twist for a whole series. It could have been done here, easily. But Seven is stuck with the excellent City Homicide, Ten with Rush and Nine is Underbellying. The ABC has Identity.

TONIGHT: AFL and NRL on Seven and Nine in some markets. Better Homes and Gardens on Seven. The MasterChef master class on Ten. Trial and Retribution returns on the ABC tonight. Tour De France on SBS.

SATURDAY: AFL and NRL on Foxtel and Ten, Midsomer Murders on the ABC at 9.20pm, Doc Martin at 7.30 pm. Tour De France on SBS. World Cup playoff for third around 4am Sunday.

SUNDAY: The morning chats on the ABC and NRL and AFL on Seven, Nine and Foxtel. Dancing with the Stars on Seven, MasterChef on Ten, 60 Minutes on Nine. Tour De France on SBS. The World Cup final around 4am Monday on SBS. — the Battle For Europe and the globe, Spain vs. Holland.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports