The Winners: Seven News had another very high 1.738 million people last night nationally, with Thank God You’re Here second and averaging 1.685 million. Today Tonight was third with 1.516 million and Spicks and Specks was 4th at 8.30pm for the ABC with 1.405 million. The Gruen Transfer averaged 1.312 million in its final episode for this series at 9pm on the ABC. Nine News averaged 1.296 million for 6th spot and MasterChef Australia on Ten at 7pm averaged 1.291 million. Seven’s Criminal Minds at 8.30pm was 8th with 1.288 million and Home and Away averaged 1.217 million for Seven at 7pm. RPA was 10th for Nine at 8pm with 1.158 million, A Current Affair was 11th with 1.104 million and Cold Case averaged 1.101 million at 9.30pm and won the slot for Nine. The 7pm ABC News was 13th with 1.094 million and Nine’s The Mentalist at 8.30pm averaged 1.080 million. It beat Ten’s House into 4th spot in its final episode with 1.076 million people. 16th was Ten News with 1.073 million (its third million plus audience in a row this week). Nine’s 7.30pm program, What’s Good For You averaged 1.033 million. The 8pm fresh episode of The Simpsons on Ten averaged 978,000. Two and a Half Men in repeat for Nine at 7pm fell to average 919,000 and My Name Is Earl averaged 907,000 for Seven at 9.30pm. The Cook And The Chef averaged a high 631,000 at 6.30pm.

The Losers: Numb3rs: another Ten program past its view by date so far as the TV audience is concerned — 601,000 at 9.30pm last night. Moving Wallpaper at 9.30pm on the ABC averaged 548,000. It is actually witty enough and is probably watched by people in TV and appreciated. The trouble is I didn’t know there were over half a million people in this country that interested in TV.

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally and in every market as did Today Tonight. Seven and Nine News (395,000, 318,000) both had high audiences in Brisbane last night as people tuned in for the latest on the floods and heavy rain. Nine News in Sydney with 361,000 was a clear second in Sydney behind Seven News, 447,000. The 7.30 Report averaged 825,000. Lateline averaged 288,000, Lateline Business, 178,000. Ten’s late News/Sports Tonight, 328,000. Nine’s late News 270,000. SBS News at 6.30pm, 179,000, the 9.30pm edition, 192,000. 7am Sunrise, 404,000, 7am Today, 304,000.

The Stats: Seven won with a 6pm to midnight All People share of 29.2% (28.3) from Nine with 25.6% (27.1%), Ten with 22.2% (20.9%), the ABC with 18.9% (18.1%) and SBS with 5.0% (5.5%). Seven won 18 to 49 and 25 to 54, Ten won 16 to 39. Seven won all five metro markets and leads the week, 27.9% to 25.1% for Ten and 24.8% for Nine. In regional areas no such joy for Seven. WIN/NBN won for Nine with 27.1% from Prime/7Qld with 25.8%. The ABC was third with 19.6%, just in front of Southern Cross (Ten) with 19.5% and SBS on 8.1%.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: The Gruen Transfer finishes series two strongly last night; Spicks and Specks was even stronger half an hour earlier. Next week The Chaser returns so the 8.30pm to 9.30pm slot will be the ABC’s for another few weeks yet.

Ten News was again strong: a million plus viewers for the third night in a row nationally. It’s the second time this year that has happened for Ten (in late January was the first). Ten will be pushing for prime time to be start at 5pm soon! So far this year Ten News at Five is up 13.8% with the audience averaging 936,000 (822,000). Seven News is up 5.1% (to 1.528 million from 1.454 million) and is towelling the weak Nine News, down 2.3% at 1.174 million (1.202 million in the same period of 2008).

A year ago was the first State of Origin Rugby League game: the total TV audience last night was a touch higher than then, which is one of the peak Wednesday nights of the year. Must have been the wild and wet weather in Southeast Queensland and in and around Sydney!

TONIGHT: The AFL and NRL Footy Shows at 9.30pm on Nine. Will the NRL program match last week’s emotional effort which dragged viewers back to the broken model?

Will Inspector Rex win over Mad Men in the battle viewing supremacy tonight on SBS between 7.30pm and 9.30pm? Will the Ghost Whisperer on Seven at 7.30pm find someone she can talk loudly to tonight, rather than whisper? And, will anyone care if they have a Getaway on Nine? Nine also has 20 to 1; Seven has Grey’s Anatomy and then Private Practice. Ten has Law and Order CI and then poor old Medium which is another past its view by date.

Ten has MasterChef Australia, followed by the average Rules of Engagement at 7.30pm and yet another US remake of a UK sitcom/comedy format called The Worst Week of My Life in Britain and now Worst Week in the US and on Ten. It will be as successful as Life On Mars was.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports