No MKR last night left the field open to Nine and Ten. Having won the week already by Wednesday night, Seven didn’t need to waste any more ratings fodder trying to win last night. Nor will it try very hard tonight or Saturday. In fact, Seven issued a release this morning pointing that “Seven Dominates Opening Week of Television Year” and accompanied by a graph showing just that. And that can be put down to one program: MKR, with assists from Home and Away, First Dates and Wanted.

The ABC debuted the new look Jack Irish series: six one-hour episodes instead of telemovies. It did well with 1.040 million national viewers and was the second-most watched scripted drama on the night after Home and Away on Seven with 1.228 million (second nationally, while Irish was sixth). And the ABC also sent Hatch Match and Despatch out onto our screens. It had 771,000 national viewers. Nine’s glossy Inside Story with 764,000 at 7.30pm (was easily beaten by 7.30 with 918,000, and Home and Away). Ten’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here averaged 1.096 million on its own for the night (No MKR or Australia’s Got Talent), but that was down noticeably from the very solid 1.241 million last Thursday.

But the most interesting story this week was what is happening in breakfast where Seven’s Sunrise was again well beaten by Today in the metros, 357,000 to 324,000. That set revamp isn’t working, so who will take the fall? It should really be whoever signed off on it in senior management at Seven. So is this Craig McPherson’s first stumble, or will he deflect to Michael Pell, the EP of Sunrise, if the losses continue?

Network channel share:

  1. Nine (27.3%)
  2. Seven (25.5%)
  3. Ten (21.1%)
  4. ABC (18.6%)
  5. SBS 6.8%)

Network main channels:

  1. Seven (17.9%)
  2. Nine (17.0%)
  3. Ten (16.4%)
  4. ABC (13.8%)
  5. SBS ONE (4.7%)

Top 5 digital channels: 

  1. GO (4.3%)
  2. 7TWO (4.2%)
  3. 7mate (3.4%)
  4. ABC 2, Eleven (3.2%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1. Nine News — 1.2575 million
  2. Home and Away (Seven) — 1.228 million
  3. Seven News — 1.190 million
  4. ABC News — 1.141 million
  5. I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here (Ten) — 1.096 million
  6. Jack Irish (ABC) — 1.040 million
  7. Seven News/Today Tonight –– 968,000
  8. A Current Affair (Nine) — 958,000
  9. 7.30 (ABC) — 918,000
  10. The Chase Australia (5.30pm) (Seven) — 913,000

Top metro programs: Not one program with a million or more viewers.

Losers: Seven and Sunrise. A weak night except for the start of Jack Irish on the ABC. And Seven is back showing those tired old favourites like Fawlty Towers for the umpteenth time on 7TWO. Next will we see a rerun of a repeat of an encore of a repeat of a resting repeat of Inspector Morse again?Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Seven News — 955,000
  2. Seven News/Today Tonight — 916,000
  3. Nine News — 897,000
  4. Nine News (6.30pm) — 844,000
  5. A Current Affair (Nine) – 965,000
  6. ABC News – 792,000
  7. 7.30 (ABC) — 620,000
  8. The Project 7pm (Ten) — 561,000
  9. Insider Story (Nine) — 499,000
  10. Ten Eyewitness News — 460,000

Morning TV:

  1. Today (Nine) – 357,000
  2. Sunrise (Seven) – 324,000
  3. The Morning Show (Seven) — 158,000
  4. News Breakfast (ABC 1,  93,000 + 46,000 on News 24) — 139,000
  5. Today Extra (Nine) — 133,000
  6. Studio 10 (Ten) — 72,000

Top five pay TV channels:)

  1. LifeStyle  (2.8%)
  2. TVHITS  (2.7%)
  3. Fox 8  (2.5%)
  4. A&E (1.9%)
  5. UKTV (1.7%)

Top five pay TV programs:

  1. Grand Designs (LifeStyle) – 84,000
  2. Paw Patrol (Nick Jr) — 70,000
  3. The Simpsons (Fox8) – 68,000
  4. Alvin!!! And The Chipmunks (Nick Jr) — 66,000
  5. Lewis 13th Street) – 65,000

*Data © OzTAM Pty Limited 2016. 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