The Nine Network followed Ten down the slippery route of jiggling its rating figures to boost the numbers for the latest series of The Block. Ten simulcasts Family Feud at 6pm Monday to Fridays on its main channel and its digital channels (ONE and Eleven) and aggregates the audience figures of the three channels into one figure, while not providing a breakdown of the audiences for each of the three channels. Nine last night simulcasted launch episode of The Block Glasshouse on Nine’s main channel and its digital channels Gem and GO without providing audience data for the three channels.That made it impossible to compare the audience figures for the new series with those of the previous episodes which were only broadcast on Nine’s main channel — but that little problem didn’t stop Nine’s spinners from trumpeting the success of last night’s debut series of the program. The Block is a notorious slow starter and builds its audience through the series. Thankfully last night was a one-off (unlike Ten with Family Feud) and The Block returns to just being broadcast on Nine’s main channel  from tonight.

In fact, I wouldn’t take many of last night’s figures seriously — with the exception of MasterChef Australia, even though Ten’s broadcasting of the Glasgow Games on ONE at the same time kept potential viewers away from the second-last episode of its recovering ratings giant. MasterChef Australia had 1.644 million national/ 1.261 million metro/ 383,000 regional viewers. The Block had 1.990 million national/ 1.374 million metro/ 616,000 regional viewers. The X Factor on Seven had 1.773 million national/ 1.113 million metro/ 660,000 regional viewers. Aggregating the three channels overstated the popularity of The Block in regional markets last night.

Ten won the metros last night because of high ratings audience for the Commonwealth Games on ONE (11.8% in the metros), allied to a moderate rating/audience for the main channel of 15.8%. Ten may have won All People, but thanks to The Block, The Voice Kids and the late broadcasting of 60 Minutes, Nine won the main channels, with Seven second and Ten in third. But in the regions there was a very different result again with Seven winning All People from Ten and a weak Nine. A complex night, made that way by the programming antics of Nine and Ten. No wonder younger viewers head off to something more reliable.

Network channel share:

  1. Ten (29.8%)
  2. Seven (25.8%)
  3. Nine (24.3%)
  4. ABC (15.1%)
  5. SBS (5.1%)

Network main channels:

  1. Nine (19.8%)
  2. Seven (17.3%)
  3. Ten (15.3%)
  4. ABC (11.8%)
  5. SBS ONE (4.4%)

Top 5 digital channels: 

  1. ONE (11.8%)
  2. 7mate (4.9%)
  3. 7TWO (3.6%)
  4. GO (2.8%)
  5. Eleven (2.6%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1. The Block Glasshouse (Nine) – 1.990 million
  2. Nine News — 1.823 million
  3. The X Factor (Seven) — 1.773 million
  4. Seven News — 1.710 million
  5. MasterChef Australia (Ten) — 1.664 million
  6. Grand Designs (ABC) — 1.453 million
  7. Sunday Night (Seven) — 1.410 million
  8. The Voice Kids (Nine) — 1.334 million
  9. ABC News –– 1.312 million
  10. 60 Minutes Late (Nine) — 985,000

Top metro programs:

  1. The Block Glasshouse (Nine) – 1.374 million
  2. Nine News — 1.289 million
  3. MasterChef Australia (Ten) — 1.261 million
  4. Seven News — 1.159 million
  5. The X Factor (Seven) — 1.114 million

Losers: Viewers of Nine’s digital channels who looked forwarded last night to the regular, advertised offerings, only to cop The Block Glasshouse.Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Nine News — 1.289 million
  2. Seven News — 1.159 million
  3. 60 Minutes Late (Nine) – 985,000
  4. Sunday Night (Seven) — 885,000
  5. ABC News  – 879,000
  6. Ten Eyewitness News — 438,000
  7. SBS World News — 198,000

Morning TV:

  1. Weekend Sunrise (Seven) –  327,000
  2. Insiders (ABC, 223,000 + News 24, 50,000) — 261,000
  3. Today (Nine) – 358,000
  4. Landline (ABC) — 208,000
  5. The Bolt Report repeat (Ten) — 156,000
  6. Offsiders (ABC) — 141,000
  7. The Bolt Report (Ten) — 133,000
  8. Financial Review Sunday  (Ten) — 130,000

Top pay TV channels:

  1. Fox Footy (3.5%)
  2. Fox 8  (2.0%)
  3. TVHITS!  (1.9%)
  4. Foxtel Movies Premiere, LifeStyle (1.&%)
  5. Fox Classics (1.5%)

Top five pay TV programs:

  1. AFL: Collingwood v Adelaide (Fox Footy) – 335,000
  2. NRL: Auckland v Manly (Fox Sports 1) — 181,000
  3. AFL: Ed and Derm’s Big Week in Footy (Fox Footy) — 131,000
  4. AFL: Before The Bounce (Fox Footy) – 95,000
  5. The Simpsons (Fox) – 74,000

*Data © OzTAM Pty Limited 2013. The data may not be reproduced, published or communicated (electronically or in hard copy) in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of OzTAM. (All shares on the basis of combined overnight 6pm to midnight all people.) and network reports.