The Winners: The 7.30pm episode of Two and a Half Men (really two men and a growing teenager) averaged 1.438 million for Nine. Seven News was second with 1.411 million and Today Tonight was 3rd with 1.356 million. Highway Patrol at 8pm averaged 1.347 million and FlashFoward at 8.30pm was next with 1.347 million (and shed viewers from last week). The 7pm repeat of Two and a Half Men averaged 1.218 million (again disproving the claim that Australian TV viewers do not like repeats).

Home and Away averaged 1.207 million at 7pm for Seven and 8th, with Nine News 9th with 1.190 million. Big Bang Theory averaged 1.182 million at 8pm for Nine and 11th was The Mentalist at 8.30pm with 1.181 million for Nine. A Current Affair was 12th with 1.156 million people. Good News Week ambled from 8.30pm to 10pm and averaged 948,000 for Ten. Australian Story averaged 873,000 for the ABC at 8pm.

The Apprentice Australia averaged 823,000 at 9.30pm and won the slot and night for Nine. Top Gear on SBS at 7.30pm, 779,000.

The Losers: Mercy on Seven at 9.30pm: 648,000. How about it Seven? Invoke the “mercy rule”.

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally and in every market but Melbourne, as did Today Tonight. The 7pm ABC News averaged 955,000, The 7.30 Report, 714,000, Four Corners, 751,000, Media Watch, 715,000, Lateline Business, 273,000, Lateline Business, 120,000. Ten News, 749,000, the Late News/Sports Tonight, 225,000. SBS News at 6.30pm, 288,000, 192,000 for the late edition. 7am Sunrise on Seven, 366,000, 7am Today on Nine, 278,000.

The Stats: Nine won with a combined 6pm to midnight All People share of 29.0% (27.4% a week ago) from Seven with 26.8% (28.5%). Ten was next with a combined share of 20.1% (19.1%), the ABC was on a combined share of 15.7% (17.6%) and SBS was on a combined 8.4% (8.1%). Nine won Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Seven won Adelaide and Perth. Nine leads the week 28.5% 50 26.7% for Seven.

Digitally: Nine’s Go won 1.80% (leaving its main channel on 27.20%), from ABC 2 with 1.20% (ABC 1 with 14.50%), Ten’s ONE with 1.10% (Ten’s main channel was on 19.10%) and SBS Two With 0.30%, SBS ONE with 8.10%.

In regional areas, WIN/NBN won with 27.4%, from Prime/7 Qld with 26.7%, Southern Cross (Ten) with 21.1%, the ABC with 15.4% and SBS on 8.4%.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Nine won (see the stats above), on a main channel basis and the digital battle. We should see Seven’s digital channel plans soon, with a start planned by late next month, in time for the revamp of ratings measurement at year’s end.

Apart from that, an average night of TV. Nothing really stood out from what I saw. Seven really lost the night because of the terrible figures at 9.30pm for Mercy. It was thumped. Australian TV audiences seem to be right off US medical dramas.

TONIGHT: Foreign Correspondent on the ABC at 8pm on the grubby side of Japanese crime. Packed to the Rafters, which continues to startle viewers by not adhering to the sugar sweet view of life, or the confected nonsense on Home and Away, Neighbours et al. SBS has Insight at 7.30pm which is always worth a look. Nine has nothing except an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm which is on at 9pm and is being marketed as the “Seinfeld reunion”, which it sort of is, but in an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Where will it be next week? Ten has NCIS at 8.30pm.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports