The Winners: Iron Chef Australia did OK for Seven, but probably would have been better as a 2011 show. We are all over cooking shows, or is that Seven’s real intent?

  1. Packed to the Rafters (Seven) (8.30pm) — 1.795 million
  2. Seven News (6pm) — 1.352 million
  3. Today Tonight (Seven) (6.30pm) — 1.245 million
  4. Top Gear Australia (Nine) (7.30pm) — 1.218 million
  5. A Current Affair (Nine) (6.30pm) — 1.194 million
  6. Nine News (6pm) — 1.165 million
  7. Iron Chef Australia (Seven) (7.30pm) (new series ) — 1.129 million
  8. NCIS (Ten) (8.30pm) (returning series) — 1.090 million
  9. Home and Away (Seven) (7pm) — 1.010 million
  10. Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation (Ten) (7.30pm) — 1.008 million

The Losers: A good night of TV. If you couldn’t find at least one program of interest, you were the loser. NCIS Los Angeles was a repeat on Ten at 9.30pm, 645,000. Survivor Nicaragua averaged 617,000 from 9.40pm. Seven’s Parenthood averaged 792,000 from 9.30pm. Nine’s UK Top Gear from 8.30pm, 882,000.

News & CA: An action replay of Monday night last night from 6pm to 7pm. TT lost Sydney and Melbourne to ACA, and in Sydney Nine News slid past Seven News again. To try and arrest Nine’s flailing 6pm news in Melbourne, the network has gone to the cash barrel and whipped out $100k to pay viewers into watching.

In the morning, Sunrise had over 400,000 viewers, but Today also lifted as well. And The 7pm Project remained anchored at 750,000 viewers last night, down upwards of 200,000 from before the Commonwealth Games.

  1. Seven News (6pm) — 1.352 million
  2. Today Tonight (Seven) (6.30pm) — 1.245 million
  3. A Current Affair (Nine) (6.30pm) — 1.194 million
  4. Nine News (6pm) — 1.165 million
  5. ABC News (7pm) — 966,000
  6. The 7pm Project (Ten) (7pm) — 750,000
  7. Ten News (5pm) — 728,000
  8. The 7.30 Report — (ABC) (7.30pm) — 643,000
  9. Foreign Correspondent (ABC) (8pm) — 564,000
  10. Late News/Sports Tonight (Ten) (10.30pm) — 342,000
  11. Insight (SBS) (7.30pm) — 214,000
  12. Lateline (ABC) (10.35pm) — 197,000
  13. SBS News (6.30pm) –169,000
  14. SBS News (9.30pm) — 143,000
  15. Lateline Business (ABC) (11.10pm) — 108,000

In the morning:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) (7am) — 407,000
  2. Today (Nine) (7am) — 369,000

The Stats:

  • FTA: Seven won with a share of 33.7%, from Nine on 28.5%, Ten with 19.3%, the ABC with 13.7% and SBS with 4.9%. Nine still leads the week on 29.9%, from Seven with 28.8% and Ten on 19.7%.
  • Main Channel: Seven won as well with a share of 27.8%, from Nine on 22.7%, Ten was on 18.8%, ABC 1, 11.9% and SBS ONE, 4.2%. Seven now leads the week with 24.0%, from Nine on 23.6% and Ten with 18.9%.
  • Digital: A lowish night for the digitals. The total FTA share of the nine channels was 14.7%. GO won with a share of 4.1%, from 7TWO on 3.3%, 7Mate on 2.5%, Gem on 1.8%, ABC 2 on 0.9%, SBS TWO on 0.7%, One and News 24 on 0.5% and ABC 3 on 0.4%. Melbourne was the best market for the digitals, a total FTA share of 16.1%, the lowest was again Sydney with 12.1%.
  • Pay TV: Seven won with 28.4% in total for its three channels, from Nine on 24.0% (three), Ten with 16.2% (two channels), Pay TV and its 100 plus channels, 13.1%, the ABC and its four channels, 11.5% and SBS with its two channels, 4.1%. That saw the 14 FTA channels share 86.9%, made up of 12.3% for digitals and 74.6% for the five main channels. Foxtel’s best market was Perth with 14.4%, equal to Sydney. The lowest was 9.2% in Adelaide where Pay TV has low penetration.
  • Regional: A win to Prime/7Qld on 33.3%, from WIN/NBN with 28.6%, SC Ten on 20.5%, the ABC, 12.5% and SBS, 4.9%. Prime/7Qld won the main channels from WIN/NBN and SC Ten. The nine digitals had a total of 14.6% FTA share. GO won with 3.8%, from 7TWO on 3.3%. WIN/NBN leads the week on 30.0% from Prime/7Qld on 29.2%.

Major Markets: Seven won overall and in the main channels from Nine and Ten in Sydney and Melbourne. In Adelaide and Perth, Seven won both overall and the main channels, but Nine and Ten swapped positions with Nine second overall and Ten second in the main channels. In Brisbane Nine won overall from Seven and Ten, but in the main channels, Seven won from Nine and Ten. In the digitals, GO drew Sydney, won Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, but lost Adelaide to 7TWO, which shared Sydney. 7TWO, Gem and 7Mate shared the minors. Seven leads the week now from Nine and Ten everywhere bar Brisbane where Nine leads from Seven and Ten.

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

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Seven, Nine and Ten can all claim wins last night. Top Gear Australia floated OK on its own, but was that due to Shane Warne’s driving skills? Seven’s Packed to the Rafters again did very well and Iron Chef Australia was respectable. Ten’s Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation and NCIS were OK, but of the three commercial networks, Ten copped the biggest squeeze. But all had good demos for most programs.

Before then, in industry news, word is that Nine about to send the sluggish 60 Minutes on early leave? Talk is there is only a couple of more shows to go between now and the end of ratings in late November. The England cricket tour and the Rugby League Four Nations games are the competition, allowing the hard workin’ folk at 60 Minutes an early Christmas.

And SBS says two are better than one for Dateline in 2011. With George Negus heading for Ten, SBS said this morning that video journalists Yalda Hakim and Mark Davis will host the program next. Hmmm, the history of double headed hosts isn’t good in this country.

And the ABC announced that from next Monday night, Q&A would be simulcast on News 24 as well from now on. Former PM, John Howard is the sole guest on Monday.

TONIGHT: Well, seeing many in the audience is into repeats, then the highlight tonight has to be the repeat of We Can Be Heroes: Finding the Australian of the Year on the ABC at 9.30pm It is a classic series. The ABC also has The Librarians at 8.30pm. Avoid Strictly Speaking at 8pm.

Seven has City Homicide at 8.30pm and Border Security. Ten has The 7pm Project and Glee, plus the first episode of the new series of The Good Wife. Nine has the first episode of the new series of The Big Bang Theory. Nine also has The Block.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports