Last night's TV ratings

By Glenn Dyer: The Winners Seven had the top three programs last night but Nine still won the night thanks to stronger programming from 7.30pm onwards. Ten’s move to run a repeat of House at 8.30pm also helped Nine, allowing around 300,000 viewers to roam free looking for entertainment, which they found on Nine or […]

By Glenn Dyer:

The Winners	Seven had the top three programs last night but Nine still won the night thanks to stronger programming from 7.30pm onwards. Ten’s move to run a repeat of House at 8.30pm also helped Nine, allowing around 300,000 viewers to roam free looking for entertainment, which they found on Nine or the ABC. Home and Away was the most watched program, with 1.491 million, 310,000 ahead of its competitor, Temptation. Today Tonight was second and followed by Seven News, which won Melbourne for the second night in a row. Nine might argue Deal or No Deal is running a rich prize this week, but its audience hasn’t jumped noticeably (865,000 last night). McLeod’s Daughters (1.403 million), CSI Miami (1.397 million) and Without a Trace (1.362 million) were the difference. Three solid hours of programming won the night for Nine. The ABC was strong with its best performer the news at 7pm (1.129 million) and then Spicks and Specks (1.076 million).
The Losers	Losers: Several. Blue Heelers, 1.104 million and more than 290,000 behind CSI Miami. Seven needs help at 8.30pm Wednesdays and Blue Heelers just hasn’t got it to boost the Network’s share any more. Forensic Investigators (Seven, 9.30pm) was also weaker compared to recent weeks with 987,000 viewers on average watching. For Ten, that repeat of House was the best performer, the Network still won the 16 to 39 age group, and Merrick and Rosso (9.30pm) perked up with 669,000 viewers, a welcome boost and this helped lift the Ronnie Johns Half Hour. It started at 10.10 pm (an odd time) and experienced a 20% lift in audience to 531,000.
News & CA	Big wins for Seven News and Today Tonight. No horse race to help, all the terror and IR news – and Today Tonight ignored it all and finished with 1.428 million viewers, 196,000 ahead of A Current Affair. Seven News with 1.412 million viewers won Sydney and Melbourne clearly. Nine won Brisbane but lost heavily in Adelaide and in Perth, as usual. TT only lost Brisbane. The 7pm ABC News in Sydney had more viewers than Nine’s broadcast an hour earlier (323,000 v 313,000).
The Stats	Nine won with a share of 30.4% to 27.5% for Seven, 20.1% for Ten, 17.4% for the ABC and 4.6% for SBS. Seven only got that close because of the usual big win in Perth, 31.8% to 25.8% for Nine. Nine had similar wins in Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney but it was much closer in Melbourne, but Nine still won.
Glenn Dyer’s comments	Tonight it’s Seven swallowed by 20 to 1 and RPA on Nine between 8.30pm and 10pm, followed by Amazing Medical Stories (a bit of a freak show). Billy Connolly’s World Tour of New Zealand gets trotted out again by Seven tonight to see if it can earn a chuckle or three, or even some viewers. What Billy’s wife, Pamela Stephenson thinks of it as she tours Australia, is another thing. Not even Billy C can make the Shaky Isles funny! Of interest will be to see if Ten’s The Surgeon at 9.30pm has steadied and starts building an audience, like the Ronnie Johns Show did last night. But it’s a bit too bloody for me and sticking it up against RPA is a big ask.