The Winners: A rotten night of TV, with more ahead tonight and tomorrow night. A night for losers in fact, especially for those who tuned into the most popular program on the night.

  1. Beauty and The Greek Australia (Seven, 8.30 – 9 30 pm) — 1.429 million
  2. Seven News (6pm) — 1.275 million
  3. Today Tonight ( Seven) (6.30pm) — 1.181 million
  4. Nine News (6pm) — 1.007 million
  5. A Current Affair (Nine) (6.30pm) — 1.004 million

The Losers: Rush on Ten at 8.30pm, 707,000, Cops L.A.C on Nine at 9.30pm, 589,000. Rake, 666,000 on the ABC at 8.30pm. And deserved. The first episode a week ago was OK, last night’s superfluous. Getaway on Nine at 7.30pm, 862,000. The Powderfinger last gig at 9.30pm on the ABC, 396,000.

News & CA: Seven News and Today Tonight won all five metro markets and therefore won nationally. ACA climbed back over 1 million viewers, just, Nine News hung in just over one million. The 7pm ABC News in Sydney with 308,000 viewers topped Seven News (307,000), Nine News (284,000), TT (291,000 and ACA (273,000) last night. But that was more due to daylight saving, but it does emphasise the early evening weakness in Sydney for much of the year.

  1. Seven News (6pm) — 1.275 million
  2. Today Tonight ( Seven) (6.30pm) — 1.181 million
  3. Nine News (6pm) — 1.007 million
  4. A Current Affair (Nine) (6.30pm) — 1.004 million
  5. ABC News (7pm) — 965,000
  6. Ten News (5pm) — 754,000
  7. The 7.30 Report (ABC) (7.30pm) — 717,000
  8. The 7PM Project (Ten) (7pm) — 676,000.
  9. Late News/Sports Tonight (Ten) (10.30pm) — 245,000
  10. Lateline (ABC) (10.30pm) — 243,000
  11. SBS News (9.30pm) — 165,000
  12. SBS News (6.30pm) — 161,000
  13. Lateline Business (ABC) (11.05pm) — 127,000

In the morning:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) (7am) — 370,000
  2. Today (Nine) (7am) — 333,000

The Stats:

  • FTA: Seven (3 channels) won with a share of 32.0%, from Nine on 28.3% (3), Ten on 17.9% (2), the ABC (4), 16.1% and SBS (2) on 5.7%. Seven leads the week with 30.7%, from Nine on 27.9% and Ten with 20.0%.
  • Main Channel: Seven won with a share of 27.1%, from Nine on 21.7%, Ten with 17.0%, ABC 1 on 13.3% and SBS ONE with 4.9%. Seven leads the week on 25.4% from Nine with 22.2% and Ten on 19.1%.
  • Digital: The nine digital channels had an FTA share of 17.0%, with GO winning on 4.5%, 7Mate on 2.5%, 7TWO on 2.4%, Gem with 2.1%, ABC 2, 1.9%, SBS TWO and ONE on 0.5% each and ABC 3 and News 24 on 0.5% each. GO leads the week with 4.2% from 7Mate and 7TWO on 2.7% each.
  • Pay TV: Seven (3 channels) won with a share of 25.9%, from Nine on 22.9% (3), Pay TV (100 plus channels) on 16.3%, Ten (2), 14.5%, the ABC (4) was on 13.1% and SBS, 4.6% (2). The 14 FTA channels had a share of 83.7% of viewing last night, with the nine digitals with a total of 12.9% and the five main channels, 70.8%.
  • Regional: Seven’s Beauty and The Geek topped viewing in regional areas, but Nine’s more traditional viewing won through, assisted by a solid night for GO. WIN/NBN finished with 32.5%, with Prime/7Qld on 29.1%, SC Ten on 19%, the ABC, 14.6% and SBS on 4.8%. WIN/NBN won the main channels with 24.6% from Prime/7Qld on 23.5%. GO won the digitals with 5.3%, 7Mate was on 2.9%, and Gem was on 2.7%. The nine digital channels had an FTA share of a high 17.9%. Prime/7Qld leads the week with 30.8%, from WIN/NBN with 30.4%.

Major Markets: A near sweep by Seven except for Adelaide where one of the network’s stronger stations fell to Nine. GO won all the digitals (which helped in Adelaide as well). Seven beat Nine and Ten overall in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. Nine won overall and the main channels in Adelaide. After GO in the digitals, 7Mate, 7TWO and Gem shared the placings. The digital channels FTA shares ranged from a low in Sydney, as usual, of 11.9% and a peak in Perth of 19.6%, with 17% plus shares in Brisbane and Adelaide. Foxtel’s shares peaked in Sydney, as usual, at 18.2%, and fell to the usual Adelaide low of 13.1% (which is higher than usual). Seven leads everywhere bar Melbourne where Nine remains ahead overall (but Seven has caught up in the main channels).

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

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Grrrr … Beauty and The Geek, not because of the 1.4 million viewers, but the utter stupidity and emptiness of the program.

TONIGHT: Don’t make me choose from Better Homes and Gardens on Seven and … Luther? Or Identity on the ABC? Or Junior MasterChef on Ten. Nah, go out, eat, watch a movie, enjoy. There is also more of the Tiger Woods golfing carnival, if you are into watching a good walk wasted on someone else.

Saturday: We know that Hey Hey it’s Saturday is now on its last legs. Nine has Australia’s Funniest Home Videos at 6.30pm in both markets. And Hey Hey elsewhere at 6.30pm. So much for taking Rugby League to the nation. Watch New Tricks and Spooks on the ABC and enjoy yourselves if you are confined to barracks.

Sunday: The early morning chats. The last F1 race on One and Ten from 11.55pm. Can Mark Webber win? 60 Minutes is back on Nine with an interesting line up. Junior MasterChef and Offspring on Ten. Sunday Night and perhaps The X Factor and Bones on Seven. SBS has Dateline.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports