The 2020 AFL grand final between Richmond and Geelong (Image: Seven)

Seven spent much of 2020 complaining and whingeing about the cost of the AFL and Cricket Australia broadcast contracts. But the latter helped save Seven’s bacon in the 2020-21 summer and the former was the lifesaver for 2020 as a whole. It’s well on the way to repeating that effort in 2021 because Seven’s non-AFL programming is again underperforming.

Last week saw yet another win in total people and the main channels for Seven, thanks to the AFL’s big audiences on Friday and Saturday nights (and the strong lead-in from the Big Freeze game at the SCG on the holiday Monday. This week will be a repeat.

Nine started the 2021 season of Australian Ninja Warrior. It did OK — 1.08 million and the third-most-watched program on the night — but it shed 21% of its 2020 audience (it started in late July last year) of 1.37 million. It will battle to keep its head above a million viewers. Nick Kyrgios is supposed to be the ratings bling factor. Hmmmm.

Nine easily won the night from Seven, Ten and the ABC.

Breakfast: Insiders, 549,000; Weekend Sunrise, 430,000; Landline, 400,000; Weekend Today, 313,000.

Regional top five: Seven News, 555,000; Nine News, 348,000; 7pm ABC News, 347,000; Australian Ninja Warrior, 292,000; Spicks and Specks, 283,000.

Network channel share:

  1. Nine (31.4%)
  2. Seven (26.0%)
  3. Ten (20.1)
  4. ABC (11.6%)
  5. SBS (7.2%)


Network main channels:

  1. Nine (22.7%)
  2. Seven (18.3%)
  3. Ten (13.3%)
  4. ABC (11.6%)
  5. SBS ONE (3.6%)


Top 4 digital channels:

  1. GO (3.6%)
  2. 10 Bold (3.2%)
  3. 10 Peach (3.1%)
  4. 7mate, 7TWO (3.0%)


Top 10 national programs:

  1. Seven News — 1.601 million
  2. Nine News 1.413 million
  3. Australian Ninja Warrior (Nine) — 1.087 million
  4. 7pm ABC News —1.036 million
  5. Seven News Spotlight — 965,000
  6. Spicks and Specks (ABC) — 837,000
  7. MasterChef Australia (Ten) — 807,000
  8. 60 Minutes (Nine) —650,000
  9. Jack Irish (ABC) — 644,000
  10. Sunday Project 7pm (Ten) — 582,000


Top metro programs:

  1. Nine News — 1.064 million
  2. Seven News — 1.046 million


Losers: even, weak.

Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Nine News — 1.064 million
  2. Seven News — 1.046 million
  3. 7pm ABC News — 689,000
  4. Seven News Spotlight — 627,000
  5. 60 Minutes (Nine), Sunday Project 7pm (Ten) — 451,000
  6. Ten News First — 311,000
  7. The Project 6.30pm (Ten) — 283,000
  8. SBS World News — 169,000


Morning (national) TV:

  1. Insiders (ABC, ABC TV) — 549,000
  2. Weekend Sunrise (Seven) — 430,000
  3. Landline (ABC) — 400,000
  4. Weekend Today (Nine) — 313,000
  5. Offsiders (ABC), Sports Sunday (Nine) — 214,000


Top five pay TV programs:

  1. AFL: Hawthorn v Essendon (Fox Footy) — 242,000
  2. NRL: Gold Coast v Manly (Fox League) — 236,000
  3. NRL: Parramatta v Canterbury (Fox League) — 185,000
  4. NRL: Sunday Ticket (Fox League) — 166,000
  5. Supercars: Darwin (Fox Sports 506) — 129,000