Last night’s TV ratings:

The Winners: A dozen programs with a million or more viewers topped by Seven News with 1.593 million, and Today Tonight next with 1.465 million. MasterChef Australia averaged 1.442 million and Nine News with 1.236 million was 4th, ahead of Getaway on Nine at 7.30 pm with 1.201 million. Grey’s Anatomy continued its recent strength with 1.178 million and first place at 8.30 pm. A Current Affair averaged 1.148 million for Nine in 7th and 8th was Ghost Whisperer on Seven at 7.30 pm with 1.143 million. Nine’s Trouble in Paradise averaged 1.094 million for the second outing and was OK. But it would have been better shortened. The re-enactments remain a worry. Home And Away averaged 1.064 million at 7 pm and 10th, 11th was Ten News At Five with 1.058 million (rare to see it in the million viewer club on a Thursday night) and the 7 pm repeat on Nine of Two And A Half Men averaged 1.012 million. The Footy Shows on Nine at 9.30 pm averaged 998,000 (the AFL ep in Melbourne, 397,000 and helped Nine to win the night). Ten’s Law And Order CI averaged 995,000. Hot Seat, 700,000 on Nine, Deal Or No Deal on Seven, 815,000: both at 5.30 pm (Ten won easily). Rexie on SBS at 7.30 pm, a high 404,000 for a repeat, The Mad Men, 239,000, the final at 10 pm 230,000.

The Losers: Losers? Nothing really. Medium on Ten at 9.30 pm, 800,000. It was a Thursday night. Likewise Private Practice in the same slot on Seven 809,000. Not good, but not as bad as both programs have received in recent weeks.

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally and in every market but Melbourne. Today Tonight won everywhere. Ten’s Late News/Sports Tonight averaged 373,000. The 7 pm ABC News averaged 950,000. The 7.30 Report, 869,000. Lateline, 210,000; Lateline Business, 125,000. World News Australia at 6.30 pm on SBS, 207,000, 288,000 for the late 9.30 edition in between eps of Mad Men. 7 am Sunrise, 360,000, 7 am Today, 312,000. Close!

The Stats: Nine won with a share of 28.4% (29.8% a week ago) from Seven with 27.0% (27.2%), Ten with 22.9% (22.7%), the ABC on 14.9% (15.7%) and SBS with 6.7% (4.6%). Seven won Sydney, and Perth, Nine won Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide. Seven leads the week 27.9% to Ten on 25.9% and Nine on 25.5%. Nine will go past Ten tonight with the NRL. Seven with the AFL and Better Homes will win. In regional areas a win for WIN/NBN with 30.4%, followed by Prime/7Qld with 26.9%, Southern Cross (Ten) with 22.0%, the ABC with 14.2% and SBS with 6.5%. (The double eps of Mad Men helped boost SBS in the city and regional markets).

Glenn Dyer’s comments: I was wrong, there is life ahead of THISafternoon, the audience rose to 307,000 yesterday. A light at the end of the tunnel. Was the lift due to someone deciding that newsreader, Mark Ferguson had to now wear a tie, or was it the eager folk tuning in for a chance to win $5,000? If I was them I’d get up early and watch Today because they are offering $100,000, at $5,000 a day twice a day. So Today is worth twice what Nine is offering for THISafternoon. Bargain?

I still can’t work out why they can’t more easily integrate THISafternoon and the 6 pm news by having Peter Overton do all the news updates (sorry Mark). It would more closely integrate him and the News in the minds of viewers.

Mad Men finished last night for the time being with SBS making a very ‘commercial’ movie of SBS to run the final two eps of MM on the same night. Was someone at SBS bored with it? Even though it was frustrating, I wasn’t. It and Rexie made a good double. A TV critic has described Mad Men (and other similar programs) as TV novels. Going on last night’s efforts it was a cross between Lynda La Plante and Joan Collins. There is a far bit of Bold and Beautiful starathons in Mad Men as well as very well written dialogue, it must be said. The dialogue in Rexie is easy, all translation, except for the woofs, barks and the snarls when he corners the baddies.

TONIGHT: Football (NRL and AFL) and great men’s tennis on Nine and Seven. Go out and get home by around 10.30 pm and 11 pm to watch the tennis, Federer and Murray playing for their pre-destined spot in the final. The Poms will go mad (talk of 20,000 pound seats for Sunday!) Better Homes And Gardens, on Seven. Apart from that, a quiet night. Ten has MasterChef though.

TOMORROW NIGHT: AFL and NRL (Foxtel as well). Tennis, the Williams sisters in the women’s final after around 10.30 am. New Tricks on the ABC at 7.30 pm. And a certain bike race starts on SBS One and Two, deep in continental Europe which we will ignore until Cadel Evans or Michael Rogers come to the fore. Don’t worry, the really interesting stage is right at the end when they ride up a big hill called Mont Ventoux in Southern France. They have to climb around 1,800 metres over 20 Kilometres at the end of a 167 KM stage on July 25, down the Rhone Valley. It’s stage 20, almost the end of the race. It will be murder, a heart breaker.

At least one leading rider has died on Ventoux in the past (1955), the weather can vary from heat, to extreme cold and even sleet and snow, in July. (The vegetation at the top is Alpine). It is the first time in the history of the tour that a mountain climb has been the second last stage. The race could very well be decided on the Mount. Saturday Night its Stage 1 and the first Time Trial at Monaco: just 15 kms or so.

SUNDAY NIGHT: AFL and NRL in the afternoon and early evening. The Race on SBS later in the evening and on SBS 2. Dancing With The Stars for two and a half hours on Seven, plus Bones. MasterChef and Rove (and maybe Merlin) on Ten. Nine has 60 Minutes (and not really relevant) and then returns “Sunday Night at the movies” (AKA, we don’t have anything but a backlog of movies to drop into the 8.30 pm slot). Dateline on SBS, Miss Marple on the ABC then switch to SBS.

AND a warning about Monday Night: Just when you thought no more Jacko stuff, Seven will show his last concert (from 2001) from 7.30 pm Agggghhhhh.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports.