Ads breaks are killing Kath and Kim. It hasn’t taken long but Seven’s Kath and Kim already has a dose of the staggers. Since opening with just over 2.5 million viewers three weeks ago, it has shed a third of its audience. Last night’s 1.767 million was also down sharply from the previous Sunday’s figure of a smidge over 2 million viewers. At this rate it could end down around 1.4 million viewers or less by the end of its 8 week run, which would raise questions about another series in 2008. It’s not a good look to be losing so many viewers that quickly. Nine’s lacklustre drama, Sea Patrol, has taken the best part of seven or eight weeks to lose a third of its opening audience: from 1.98 million down to just over 1.2 million last Thursday night. Last night’s 1.767 million for K&K is still a good number (it’s put Seven in a strong position to win the week’s battle), but it’s the audience drift that’s become the story, not the contents. Last night’s ep was OK but the ad breaks are now really, really intrusive and are clearly driving viewers away. — Glenn Dyer

So much for live NRL finals coverage. Rugby League tragics won’t see Friday’s first semi final between the Auckland Warriors and the Paramattta Eels live on the Nine Network due to the time difference. The game, which is being played in Auckland, starts at 6.30pm Sydney time. The TV guides have it down as starting at 7.30pm on Nine. So much for the “live coverage of the finals”. — Glenn Dyer

Seven stays strong in the news battle. Another big win to Seven in the national news battle last week, but not in Melbourne. Seven News finished 13th nationally with 1.430 million viewers and Nine News was 28th with 1.227 million. Seven won Sydney easily (390,000 to 335,000) but lost Melbourne heavily (356,000 to 408,000), although Seven did close the gap late in the week. But there was no sign of a rebound last night and with no late finishing AFL game of note to help, Nine News won nationally and in Melbourne, where the margin was 476,000 to 305,000. Seven had won the previous Sunday in Melbourne, 425,000 to 394,000. Seven won in Brisbane last night, despite Nine having the Brisbane Broncos playing in the NRL game of the day. Brisbane is all about Seven having a stronger newsreader at weekends in Sharyn Ghidella, the former Nine reader on Today. And the focus on Seven News in Melbourne has distracted attention from a close finish between Today Tonight (22nd nationally with 1.294 million) and A Current Affair (24th with 1.262 million). — Glenn Dyer

And wins another ratings week. The Seven Network won week 29 of ratings, thanks to the strong performances on Monday and Tuesday nights, with Friday thrown in as bonus with the AFL proving more popular than the NRL. Seven won with a share of 27.4% (28.8% a last week) from Nine with 26.4% (26.5%), Ten on 23.3%, 23.2%, the ABC with 16.2% (16.3%) and SBS with 6.8% (5.3%). Seven won Monday, Tuesday and Friday. Nine also won three nights, Sunday, Thursday and Saturday (and Ten won Wednesday night) but it only had one 30% plus share, while Seven achieved that on all three winning nights. Nine won Sydney but Seven won Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, where the WIN owned STW 9 continues to find it difficult to haul in Seven. — Glenn Dyer

Last night’s TV ratings
The Winners: Just 10 programs with a million or more viewers but it was one of the closest Sunday nights this year. Kath & Kim was tops with 1.767 million. Nine News was second with 1.507 million and Midsomer Murders was next with 1.474 million for the ABC at 8.30pm. 60 Minutes averaged 1.396 million, followed by Seven’s My Name Is Earl at 8pm (1.367 million), Ten’s Idol wildcard show (1.327 million), Seven News (1.323 million), Hot Property (1.252 million) and Australia’s Best Backyards (1.239 million). Backyard Blitz had 1.098 million and Seven’s 8.30pm movie, Dodgeball averaged 954,000, while Nine’s movie, Miss Congeniality 2 averaged 929,000.

The Losers: Backyard Blitz is looking a bit tired compared to the Seven’s program with Jamie Durie, Australia’s Best Backyards. Rove only had 849,000 (but the viewers were not off watching Midsomer Murders — they are a different demographic). Rove was fourth last night. Also on Ten, America’s Next Top Model, was third in the 6.30pm slot behind Durie on Seven and Nine and then the ABC News at 7pm pushed it to fourth. Three Men In A Boat on the ABC at 7.30pm is all but unwatchable, especially compared to the eruditeness of Tony Robinson the week before.

News & CA: Nine News easily beat Seven, though Seven was stronger in Brisbane and Perth. The 7pm ABC News averaged less than a million viewers for the first time in quite some months. It averaged 994,000 last night. SBS News at 6.30pm averaged 180,000. Weekend Sunrise, 417,000 at 8am, Nine’s Sunday, 250,000 at 9am (next week they go head to head at 8am because of the US Open Tennis). Landline on the ABC averaged 202,000. Insiders, 150,000; Inside Business, 85,000; Offsiders, 125,000 (it was interesting to hear a very agitato Baz Cassidy on Seven and the AFL players medical records, contrasted to the cooler headed and more insightful Caroline Wilson from The Age. She was generous in pointing out how good the Phil Gould interview with Andrew Johns was on Thursday night. Will it win a Walkley Award?). You’d think with Fathers Day more Dads would have been allowed to tune in to watch the best sports program on TV. Meet The Press on Ten at 8am, 51,000.

The Stats: Nine won with a share of 25.6% (28.0% last week) from Seven with 25.2% (24.0%), Ten with 21.4% (20.8%), the ABC close by with 21.0% (21.9%) and SBS with 6.8% (5.4%). That’s pretty close. Nine won Sydney and Adelaide, Seven won Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. In regional areas a win to Nine through WIN/NBN with 27.5% from Prime/7Qld with 25.8%, the ABC with 20.5%, Ten with Southern Cross (18.8%) and SBS with 7.5%.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Seven could have won if Kath & Kim was watched by 100,000 or so more viewers. Seven was weak in Sydney last night — it was the weakest performance in the five city metro markets. We had an old fashioned battle of the Sunday night movies last night which was won by Seven, well Seven finished second behind the final Midsomer Murders for this series. Next Sunday the ABC returns to literary worthiness with Under The Greenwood Tree, yet another adaptation of a Thomas Hardy bodice ripper. Tonight SBS has a repeat of Mythbusters at 7.30pm. Nine marks the late Steve Irwin by disinterring a program called Secrets of the Crocodile (I can hardly wait for secrets of the Stingray?), Nine has 1 vs 100 and a bloke down to the last half dozen in the mob and poor old ER is still there. Ten has Idol, a repeat of Law And Order SVU and then the second ep of Californication. TV sets in churches across Australia will be on to watch or record and help compile the next protest. I really think this program promotes bad habits among the religious right in this country, forcing them to watch TV late at night when they could be sewing, ironing or downloading. Seven has Border Security, The Force, City Homicide and Criminal Minds. The ABC has Andrew Denton talking to Kyle Sandilands; the sometime radio host and Idol judge.

Source: OzTAM, TV Network reports