A Temptation Eddie can’t ignore. So by ditching Temptation temporarily, can we assume that the Nine Network has shelved the silly idea of moving the 6pm news to 5pm and introducing an hour of nothing, sport and fun hosted by Eddie McGuire, at least for this year? You have to qualify as much of what comes from the Nine Network these days on programming matters, because the collective mind making decisions there seem to have trouble concentrating. The TV industry is now learning that nothing is black and white at Willoughby and the network seems to be running on the daily thoughts of Jeff Browne, the executive in charge, and his old mate Eddie McGuire. Even though Eddie has left the CEO’s office, he is still there in spirit as one half of the dynamic duo with mate Jeff. How else to we explain the rumours that A Current Affair would morph into an hour long program fronted by Eddie and Sarah Murdoch at 6pm, with the news moved to 5pm where it would battle Ten and hand Seven an enormous advantage? This, we take it is Jeff Browne’s way of backing thought with deed: remember how he wanted to “smash” the Nine news and current affairs culture by the appointment of Seven’s Adam Boland as network news and current affairs boss? Now Jeff and Eddie have come up with a brilliant idea: Instead of running Temptation (AKA Sale of The Century) at 7pm, Nine is now going to try a half hour version of Who Wants To be A Millionaire at 7pm from October, with Eddie back in the chair. Millionaire was flicked half way through 2006 by Nine and Eddie because of his role as Network CEO but it was of no concern late last year when Nine bought the rights to 1 vs 100 and Eddie put himself forward to host it on Monday nights at 8.30pm, the slot that Millionaire occupied. On Monday night of this week, 1 vs 100 achieved its worst ever ratings of less than a million viewers: 969,000 was the average. Millionaire was a far better performer for Nine at 8.30 pm and questions are still being raised at the network why it was junked and replaced by a clunkier format. Eddie is known to have been a big enthusiast for 1 vs 100 and convinced the then controllers of Nine, James Packer and John Alexander, that it would do better than Millionaire. In the past couple of weeks its audience squeezed by Criminal Minds on Seven and the return of Idol on Ten. It’s not the first time Nine has tried to strip Millionaire into half hour programs. It did it in 2004 when The Price Is Right was floundering. Millionaire lasted just two weeks at 5.30pm and was yanked because of poor ratings and the fact that Eddie didn’t understand the need for real pace in a half hour format. Temptation ‘skews old’ as they say in TV land and so does Millionaire. Seven and Ten have younger viewers locked up at 7pm with Home and Away and repeats of Futurama. Eddie though will rate well in Melbourne, but contrary to popular belief down south, it is not Australia. But when daylight saving starts this year, especially in Melbourne, early evening viewing levels will fade (Like the curtains?). — Glenn Dyer

Last night’s TV ratings
The Winners: 16 programs with a million or more viewers last night. Seven won but Nine remained competitive because of the Foxtel-produced Crime Investigation Australia won the 9.30pm timeslot and delivered more than a million viewers to Nine for an hour and a quarter. RSPCA Animal Rescue was the most watched program with 1.734 million viewers, at 7.30pm, followed at 8pm by Medical Emergency with 1.697 million. Today Tonight was next with 1.451 million people, with Seven News next with 1.441 million. Nine’s Temptation averaged 1.354 million in 5th spot, followed by Seven’s All Saints at 8.30pm with 1.341 million people. Home And Away was 7th with 1.307 million and Nine News averaged 1.273 million in 8th spot, followed by A Current Affair with 1.248 million. The 8pm Simpsons repeat on Ten averaged 1.233 million, while Nine’s Things To Try Before You Die rose to 1.226 million and 11th place. The 7pm ABC News was strong with an average 1.210 million nationally, while Ten’s repeat of NCIS averaged 1.166 million at 8.30pm. The 7.30 repeat of The Simpsons averaged 1.136 million at 14th spot, while a the new ep of CSI Miami averaged 1.118 million people. Nine’s Foxtel repeat, Crime Investigation Australia (CIA) averaged 1.042 million in 14th spot. The ABC’s South Side Story (or why Russell Crowe is simply fab-o) averaged 609,000 at 8pm. The new ep of Numb3rs on Ten at 9.30pm, 912,000, So Seven was third with Life Begins 817,000.

The Losers: Losers? Not many, in fact no one program could be called a loser last night, not even Nine’s CSI Miami (why does it depend on shooting people rather than convicting them through forensic evidence, which seems to be a premise of the series? And of course showing off Miami buildings, roads, cars and sunsets). Seven’s Life Begins (817.000 at 9.30 pm), it might be a bit tough for Australian viewers because its now in what I call British ‘suffering drama’ where the solution is easy to see except for the main character (But isn’t that like real life? Sure is!).

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally and in every market but Melbourne. Today Tonight won everywhere. Nine’s Nightline averaged 263,000. Ten News At Five averaged 921,000, which is a solid result. The Late News/Sports Tonight, 454,000 at the regular 10.30pm. The 7.30 Report averaged 748,000, Lateline, 132,000 and Lateline Business 93,000. (The ABC’s audience was low from 7.30pm onwards). Foreign Correspondent on the ABC, 459,000. World News Australia on SBS, 150,000 at 6.30pm and 168,000 at 9.30pm. Insight at 7.30pm, 197,000. 7am Sunrise 361,000, 7am Today, 260,000.

The Stats: Seven won with 30.3% (31.4%) from Nine with 28.2% (26.6%), Ten with 23.0% (23.1%), the ABC with 13.2% (14.2%) and SBS with 5.3% (4.7%). Seven won Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Nine won Melbourne. Seven leads the week 30.2% to 25.3% for Nine and Ten on 22.0%. In regional areas a win to Prime/&Qld with 32.4%, from WIN/NBN and Southern cross (Ten) tying second with 25.3% each, the ABC with 11.7% and SBS with 5.3%.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: The Foxtel program, CIA has now saved Nine two Tuesday nights in a row. Take it out and put CSI New York back into the 9.30pm slot, as Nine was doing, and the network’s share goes backwards. Tonight its Ten’s Thank God You’re Here and House versus the rest, with the big brawl between Nine’s RPA Where Are They Now, House on Ten and Spicks and Specks on the ABC at 8.30pm. All three programs will entertain you. Seven is out of the running tonight.