Six hours and 45 minutes of repeats on Nine

The Winners: A Games night for some. The X Factor did well for Seven. Viewers let down by Nine. The ABC’s News and Current Affairs-a-thon toiled manfully. Ten’s Games coverage was light on, the early from 6pm to 9pm averaged 476,000 on the main channel and 181,000 on ONE, for a not so hot total of 657,000. The late from 9pm to 11pm averaged 655,000 on the main channel and 223,000 on ONE, for a total of 878,000, which was a lot better and included more Australian gold medals.

The Losers: Viewers of Nine last night were treated appalling by the network last night: five hours and 45 minutes of repeats. Six hours and 45 minutes if you add Spyforce at 12.45am today. Viewers wanted non-sport programming, and non-news and current affairs. When we get oft- repeated movies like Crocodile Dundee and Shawshank Redemption (in southern markets), it’s a sign of network arrogance.

Seven News (6pm) — 1.515 million
Today Tonight (Seven) (6.30pm) – 1.433 million
Nine News (6pm) — 1.201 million
The X Factor (Seven) (7.30pm) — 1.182 million
Home and Away (Seven) (7pm) — 1.113 million
A Current Affair (Nine) (6.30pm) — 1.095 million
Two and a Half Men (Nine) (7pm) (repeat) — 1.067 million
ABC News (7pm) — 1.022 million

News & CA: Seven News is slaughtering Nine News in Melbourne (which probably means it will swing back!). Last night Seven News was watched by 465,000, the biggest in any market in Australia, with Nine News on 345,000. A margin of 120,000, which is extremely large for a rivalry which has normally been much closer in the past couple of years. Seven News won in every market. Today Tonight won every market as well in a good night for Seven. ACA started the week with just 292,000 viewers in Sydney. Sunrise was back over 400,000.

Seven News (6pm) — 1.515 million
Today Tonight (Seven) (6.30pm) – 1.433 million
Nine News (6pm) — 1.201 million
A Current Affair (Nine) (6.30pm) — 1.095 million
ABC News (7pm) — 1.022 million
Australian Story (ABC) (8pm) –986,000
The 7.30 Report (ABC) (7.30pm) –937,000
Ten News (5pm) — 817,000
Four Corners (ABC) (8.30pm) — 774,000
Media Watch (ABC) (9.20pm) — 751,000
Q&A (ABC) (9.35pm) — 553,000
Lateline (ABC) (10.35pm) –241,000
SBS News (6.30pm) — 162,000
Lateline Business (ABC) (11.10pm) — 136,000
SBS News (9.30pm) — 130,000

In the morning:

Sunrise (Seven) (7am) — 409,000
Today (Nine) (7am) — 322,000

The Stats:

FTA: Seven won with a share of 29.1%, from Nine on 26.0%, Ten with 20.1%, the ABC on 18.0% and SBS with 6.8%. Seven leads the week with 28.9% from Nine on 25.5% and Ten with 20.7%.
Main Channel: Seven won with 24.1%, from Nine on 20.7%, ABC 1 with 15.3%, Ten on 14.7% and SBS with 6.0%. Seven leads the week with 24.2%, from Nine with 18.8%, ABC 1 with 16.2% and Ten with 15.6%.
Digital: Another solid night thanks to the Games on ONE. It won the night with 5.3%, from GO with 3.4%, 7Mate and 7TWO were next with 2.5% each, ABC 2 averaged 1.7%, SBS TWO, 0.8%, ABC 3, 0.6% and News 24, 0.5%. ONE leads the week on 5.1%, from GO with 4.6% and 7Mate on 2.6%.
Pay TV: Seven won with 23.2% for its three channels, from Nine on 20.7% for its trio, Pay TV (Foxtel), 17.8% for its 100 plus channels, Ten on 16.0% for its two, the ABC with 14.3% (for four channels) and SBS on 5.4% with two channels. The Nine FTA digital channels averaged 15.2%, the five main channels, 67.0%, for a total of 82.2% for the FTA channels.
Regional: WIN/NBN won with a share of 28.0%, from Prime/7Qld with 27.5%, SC Ten on 21.8%, the ABC with 16.3% and SBS with 6.4%. Prime/7Qld won the main channels with 23.0%, from WIN/NBN on 22.1%. GO and ONE tied the digitals with 4.5% each, 7Mate was on 2.3%. Prime/7Qld now leads the week with 28.7%, from WIN/NBN from 27.5%. The FTA digital channels had a total share of 17.3% last night in prime time.

Major Markets: Thanks to ONE’s Games coverage, the digitals again did well, which helped Ten, because its main channel was weak in most markets, except Perth where the games do relatively better than on the East Coast.

Sydney: Seven won the main channels from Nine and Ten, in the main channels it was Seven from Nine and the ABC. ONE won the digitals from GO and 7TWO. Seven leads the week from Nine and Ten. The digital channels had a FTA share of 15.6% in Sydney.
Melbourne: In Melbourne it was Nine from Seven and Ten overall as the sports loving viewers in the country’s sports viewing capital preferred repeats of Two And A Half Men and the Shawshank Redemption to the Games and programs on Seven and the ABC. Nine won the main channels from Seven and the ABC. ONE won the digitals from GO and 7Mate and Gem tied for third. The digitals had a total FTA share of 18.3%. Nine leads the week from Seven and Ten.
Brisbane: It was Seven from Nine and Ten overall, but Seven from Nine and the ABC on the main channels. ONE won the digitals from GO and 7Mate. Seven leads the week from Nine and Ten. The FTA digitals had a total share of 21.5%
Adelaide: Seven won from Nine and Ten overall and in the main channels. ONE won the digitals from 7TWO and 7Mate. The digital channels total share was 22.8%. Seven leads the week from Nine and Ten.
Perth: It was Seven from Nine and Ten overall, but Seven from Nine and Ten in the main channels. ONE beat GO in the digitals with 7TWO and 7Mate tied for third. Seven leads the week from Nine and Ten. The digitals share last night of FTA viewing was the highest in the country, 23.5%.

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

Glenn Dyer’s comments: The Nine Network shared its movie repeats last night. The Shawshank Redemption was repeated in southern markets, Crocodile Dundees One and Two in the north. Next Sunday, Nine screens the first of Sherlock, which is much anticipated. It has been sitting on this to show until after the Commonwealth Games. It could have shown it on Sunday or Monday nights of this week and been knocked down in the rush.

Ten’s main channel share of 14.7% last night was very weak. Ten’s ratings report this morning highlighted ONE’s win, and was (not so strangely) quiet on the main channel’s 4th behind the news and current affairs of the ABC in third spot. We are still waiting for Fox Sports and Foxtel to produce actual figures for its 6SD and 6HD Games channels. Nice sounding words about an increase in viewers and support, but no hard data.

TONIGHT: Games on Ten, Packed to the Rafters on Seven. Top Gear is an old one from SBS days. Insight on SBS, Seven Ages of Britain on the ABC at 8.30pm and a sleeper, The Genius of Design at 6pm, also on the ABC.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports