First blood in the 2015 ratings struggle to Seven with My Kitchen Rules, helped by the returning Home and Away (with a small assist from 7.30 and Australian Story on ABC) inflicted severe damage on the ratings of The Block and its triple threat on Nine and Ten’s much (self) touted, I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.

MKR had 2.285 million metro viewers with almost 1.6 million of those in metro markets. The Block managed 1.2 million national viewers (beaten by a million!) but only 802,000 of those were in the more lucrative metro markets. I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here managed 1.019 million national viewers, but only 755,000 metro viewers. It lost more than 570,000 viewers from Sunday night when it was up against the tennis on Seven and the One Day International cricket on Nine. 7.30 with 1.244 million beat The Block and I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, Australian Story with 1.193 million beat I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.

Seven won the night in the metros and regionals. Nine was second in both, Ten was third in the metros but fourth in the regionals where the ABC’s program was more attractive to viewers.

The ABC showed us the worth of its solid Monday night programming of news and current affairs programs last night — all performed well, and Leigh Sales was boosted by Tony Abbott’s lunchtime sales job at the Press Club (watched by 312,000 people nationally). A further 1.060 million watched the first Q&A for the year with its heavy political line up, again disproving all those politicians and commentators who claim Australians are over politics. They aren’t when there’s blood in the water. Remember audiences were solid for programs like these when Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd were fighting, and were solid in Queensland last Saturday night for the election coverage on Nine and the ABC, and for Insiders on Sunday morning. But then it could be that a lot of viewers don’t really like Tony Abbott and waiting for blood to be spilled.

Ten and I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here now has to back up tonight and tomorrow night, as does Nine with The Block to see if the whacking from last night continues.

Sunrise was an easy winner in the morning, 383,000 to 298,000 for Nine’s Today in metro markets. Seven news had a rare win in the metros over night, but Nine won Sydney (by 100,000) and Melbourne by 44,000. Some things never change.

Network channel share:

  1. Seven (29.8%)
  2. Nine (26.3%)
  3. Ten (20.2%)
  4. ABC (18.9%)
  5. SBS (4.9%)

Network main channels:

  1. Seven (23.9%)
  2. Nine (18.8%)
  3. Ten (15.1%)
  4. ABC (14.3%)
  5. SBS ONE (3.9%)

Top 5 digital channels: 

  1. 7TWO (4.2%)
  2. Gem (3.9)
  3. GO (3.7%)
  4. ONE (3.0%)
  5. Eleven (2.1%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1. My Kitchen Rules (Seven) – 2.285 million
  2. Home and Away (Seven) — 1.681 million
  3. Nine News — 1.507 million
  4. The Big Bang Theory (Nine) – 1.405 million
  5. Seven News — 1.385 million
  6. ABC News — 1.281 million
  7. 7.30 (ABC) — 1.244 million
  8. The Big Bang Theory repeat (Nine) — 1.213 million
  9. The Block Triple Threat (Nine) — 1.208 million
  10. Australian Story (ABC) — 1.193 million

Top metro programs:

  1. My Kitchen Rules (Seven) – 1.596 million
  2. Home and Away (Seven) — 1.1181 million
  3. Seven News/ Today Tonight — 1.073 million
  4. Seven News — 1.063 million
  5. Nine News 6.30 — 1.039 million
  6. Nine News — 1.038 million

Losers: Nine and The Block, Ten and I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here — viewers saw MKR was back on air and simply deserted both programs for Seven’s mega hit. Simple explanation and no amount of measuring program peaks and other spinning to avoid that point.Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Seven News/ Today Tonight — 1.073 million
  2. Seven News — 1.063 million
  3. Nine News 6.30 — 1.039 million
  4. Nine News — 1.038 million
  5. ABC News — 861,000
  6. A Current Affair (Nine) – 842,000
  7. 7.30 (ABC) — 828,000
  8. Australian Story (ABC) — 780,000
  9. Q&A (ABC 627,000, 106,000 0n News 24) – 733,000
  10. Four Corners (ABC) — 724,000

Morning TV:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) – 380,000
  2. Today (Nine) – 298,000
  3. News Breakfast (ABC 1, 88,000 + 65,000 on News 24) — 153,000
  4. Mornings (Nine) — 150,000
  5. Studio 1o (Ten) — 92,000

Top pay TV channels:

  1. ESPN (2.5%)
  2. Fox8  (2.1%)
  3. TVHITS  (2.0%))
  4. UKTV, Sky News (1.8%)

Top five pay TV programs:

  1. Super Bowl (ESPN) – 94,000
  2. Modern Family (Fox8) – 79,000
  3. SportsCentre Special (ESPN) – 98,000
  4. Dance Moms (LifeStyle You) – 64,000
  5. Family Guy (Fox8) – 62,000

*Data © OzTAM Pty Limited 2015. 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.