The Winners: Seven dominant, miles ahead of the others and wins the week after three nights. Games weakening for Ten (see below).

  1. Packed to the Rafters (Seven) (8.30pm) — 1.765 million
  2. Seven News (6pm) — 1.468 million
  3. Today Tonight (Seven) (6.30pm) — 1.426 million
  4. RSPCA Animal Rescue (Seven) (7.30pm) — 1.244 million
  5. Top Gear (Nine) (7.30pm) — 1.143 million
  6. Nine News (6pm) — 1.089 million
  7. ABC News (7pm) — 1.069 million
  8. A Current Affair (Nine) (6.30pm) — 1.019 million
  9. Home and Away (Seven) (7pm) — 1.006 million

The Losers: Ten viewers and Nine viewers. Ten because the Games is softening by the night. Nine, because they relied on a tired old episode of UK Top Gear and didn’t want to risk the Australian version.

News & CA: The Nine Network sledged Seven’s Today Tonight and host in the Sydney Morning Herald this morning over the program having the same stories as ACA. The spokesman for Nine should have been asked to explain why Nine News and especially ACA has tanked in the last week to the point where the ratings last night where among the lowest in Sydney this year, while ACA copped a hiding in Melbourne and Brisbane from TT. Clearly TT is doing something right, relative to what ACA has been doing lately.

These audience figures are volatile, but Nine News and ACA got less than 300,000 viewers in Sydney last night (269,000 and 267,000 respectively). Seven News, 307,000 and TT, 326,000, beat them easily, as did the 7pm ABC news in Sydney with 280,000.

Now, daylight saving and the Commonwealth Games on Ten from 6pm can be partly blamed, but if that’s the case, they have made a bigger mess of Nine in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane than Seven’s news and current affairs hour from 6pm to 7pm. The content of Nine News and ACA and TT and Seven News wasn’t all that different last night, at least in Sydney.

  1. Seven News (6pm) — 1.468 million
  2. Today Tonight (Seven) (6.30pm) — 1.426 million
  3. Nine News (6pm) — 1.089 million
  4. ABC News (7pm) — 1.069 million
  5. A Current Affair (Nine) (6.30pm) — 1.019 million
  6. Ten News (5pm) — 842,000
  7. The 7.30 Report (ABC) (7.30pm) — 714,000
  8. Foreign Correspondent (ABC) (8pm) — 549,000
  9. Lateline (ABC) (10.35pm) — 209,000
  10. Insight (SBS) (7.30pm) — 166,000
  11. SBS News (6.30pm) — 160,000
  12. SBS News (9.30pm) — 141,000
  13. Lateline Business (ABC) (11.10pm) — 125,000

In the morning:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) (7am) — 407,000
  2. Today (Nine) (7am) — 337,000

The Stats:

  • FTA: Seven won with 35.6% from Nine on 27.6%, Ten with 16.4%, the ABC, 15.6% and SBS was on 4.8%. Seven leads the week with 31.1%, from Nine on 26.2% and Ten with 19.3%.
  • Main Channel: Seven won with a share of 29.3%, from Nine with 20.9%, ABC 1 with 13.3%, Ten with 11.9% and SBS with 3.9%. Seven leads the week with 25.9%, from Nine with 19.5%, the ABC on 15.2% and Ten with 14.4%.
  • Digital: GO with 4.7% beat ONE on 4.4%, with 7Mate third with 3.4%, 7TWO next on 2.9%, Gem on 2.0%, ABC 2 with 1.2%, SBS TWO with 0.9%, ABC 3 on 0.7% and News 24 with 0.5%. The nine FTA digitals had a total share of 20.7%. ONE leads the week with 4.9%, from GO on 4.7% and 7Mate on 2.9%. The digital share should shrink noticeably after the games finish Thursday night and cuts ONE’s figure.
  • Pay TV: Seven and its three channels won with a share of 28.8%, from Nine and its trio on 22.3%, Pay TV and its 100 channels was on a total of 16.5%, Ten and its two channels totalled 13.2%, the ABC with four channels finished with 12.6% and SBS and its two channels was on 3.9%. That’s a total of 16.8% for the Nine FTA channels and 66.7% for the five main channels.
  • Regional: Seven won here through Prime/7Qld with 36.1% (for its three channels), WIN/NBN were on 27.8% for its trio, Ten, 18.1% for its two channels, the ABC, 13.4% for its four and SBS finished with 4.6% for its two channels. The main channels were won by Prime/7Qld from WIN/NBN/ The digitals was won by GO on 4.9%, from ONE on 3.6% and 7Mate and 7TWO on 2.9% each. The Nine digital channels had an FTA share of 19.6%. Prime/7Qld leads the week with 31.1%, from WIN/NBN on 27.6%.

Major Markets: A solid night for the digitals in the major markets, while Foxtel lost some ground and its total share was exceeded by that of the nine FTA digitals in prime time. The ABC accounted for Ten in some markets, especially in the main channels. Foxtel has a lower penetration than does the FTA digital and main channels.

  • Sydney: A win overall and in the main channels for Seven, from Nine and the ABC. GO won the digitals, from ONE and 7TWO. The FTA digital channels averaged 19.7%, Foxtel, 19.8% for its 100 plus channels. Seven leads Nine from Ten.
  • Melbourne: It was the same result here with Seven winning from Nine and the ABC overall and in the main channels. ONE won the digitals from 7Mate and GO. The nine FTA digitals averaged 19.7%, Foxtel and its many channels, 16.8%. Seven leads the week from Nine and Ten.
  • Brisbane: Seven won from Nine and Ten overall and in the main channels. GO beat ONE and 7Mate in the digitals, with the FTA digital channels having a total score of 20.7%. Foxtel finished with a total for 15.1%. Seven leads the week from Nine and Ten.
  • Adelaide: It was Seven from Nine and the ABC overall and in the main channels. GO beat ONE, with 7TWO third. The digital channels totalled 21.4%, Foxtel, 12.4%. Seven leads the week from Nine, with Ten and the ABC tied for third.
  • Perth: Seven won from Nine and Ten overall and in the main channels. ONE beat GO, with 7Mate third. The nine FTA digital channels totalled 25.1%, Foxtel, 14.5%. Seven leads the week from Nine and Ten.

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

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Have you ever thought, what happens if you have a big sporting event and viewers forgot to watch? Ten last night. The 6pm to 9pm session was watched by just 428,000 people on Ten’s main channel and 167,000 on ONE, for a total of 595,000, which isn’t good.

The 9pm to 11pm session was watched by 459,000 on the main channel and 173,000 on ONE, for a total of 632,000. Hardly an increase at all.

The main channel’s prime time share of 11.9% was rotten, bad, however you want to describe it. Don’t think Ten will be doing Commonwealth Games again, not with the next lot in Glasgow where the time difference is even worse. Maybe a Foxtel/ABC effort?

TONIGHT: More Games on Ten. Sanity on the ABC with The Librarians returning for a third series at 8.30pm. Strictly Speaking at 8pm on the ABC. Nine has The Block which is a gem in comparison, plus a fresh RPA at 8.30pm. Seven has City Homicide at 8.30pm.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports