The Winners: MasterChef averaged 1.670 million for the Black Forest cake special and it was overwhelmingly rich, unlike the rest of the night. Seven News averaged 1.532 million for Second, with Today Tonight 3rd with 1.482 million. Nine News was 4th with 1.481 million and Two and a Half Men was 5th with 1.387 million. A Current Affair was 6th with 1.359 million and The Mentalist averaged 1.266 million at 8.30pm for Nine. The Big Bang Theory averaged 1.236 million and the 7pm repeat of Two and a Half Men averaged 1.198 million. That was just in front of the 7pm News on the ABC with 1.108 million and 10th. 11th was Home and Away with 1.075 million and Ten’s Good News Week crept into the million viewer club at 12th with its best audience of the year so far, 1.037 million.

The Losers: With the AFL game on Seven last night, it was hard to see if there were any losers. If anything, it was the idea of Monday night football: 371,000 watched in Melbourne.

Whereas The Mentalist on Nine from 8.30pm to 9.30pm averaged 385,000 in Melbourne, MasterChef kicked off with 541,000 from 7.30pm to around 8.30pm on Ten. Big Bang Theory on Nine at 8 pm, 3854,000. Two and a Half Men at 7.30pm on Seven, 424,000 (that’s where a lot of Seven’s AFL audience were).

There’s a message there for the AFL, but will they be listening or able to comprehend it?

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally and in every market but Melbourne and Brisbane. TT lost Sydney and Melbourne to ACA, but won nationally off the back of Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. The 7.30 Report averaged 712,000, Four Corners, a low 590,000, Media Watch, 545,000, Lateline, 283,000, Lateline Business, 132,000. Nine’s Nightline, 162,000. Ten News, 934,000. The late News/Sports Tonight, 181,000. SBS News at 6.30pm, 185,000, 213,000 for the late edition. 7am Sunrise, 371,000, 7 am Today, 313,000.

The Stats:

FTA: Nine won here with a share of 28.4%, from Seven with 27.4%, Ten with 23.0%, the ABC with 14.8% and SBS, 6.5%. Nine won Sydney and Brisbane. Seven won Adelaide and Perth (thanks in part to its digital network, especially in Adelaide where it out rated SBS). Nine leads the week, 30.8% to 27.0%.

Main Channel: Nine won here with a share of 26.2%, from Seven with 23.0% (boosted by the AFL share in Melbourne), Ten was on 22.1%, ABC 1, 13.0% and SBS ONE, 6.0%. Nine won Sydney and Brisbane, Seven won Melbourne, Ten drew Adelaide with Nine and won Perth. Nine leads the week with 27.8%, from Seven with 24.2%. Ten’s main channel was second in Sydney behind Nine.

Digital: 7TWO won with 4.4% (7.1% in Adelaide!), from GO with 2.2%, ABC 2 with 1.4%, ONE with 0.8%, SBS TWO with 0.5% and ABC 3 with 0.4%. The six digital channels had a total share of 8.5% (16.3% in the Adelaide market, which is very high). GO leads the week with 3.0%, from 7TWO with 2.9%.

Pay TV: Nine won with 23.6%, from Seven with 22.7%, Ten on 19.1%, Pay TV with 14.8%, the ABC with 12.3% and SBS with 5.4%. The 11 FTA channels had a total share of 85.2%, Pay TV’s 100 plus channels, the reported 14.8%.

Regional: A win for WIN/NBN with 29.2%, from prime/7Qld with 26.9%, SC Ten on 20.2%, the ABC 16.5% and SBS, 7.2%. WIN/NBN won the main channels with 27.0%, from Prime/7Qld with 23.7%. 7TWO won the digitals with 3.2%, from GO with 2.2% and ABC 2 with 1.5%. WIN/NBN lead the week on 31.4% from Prime/7Qld with 26.5%.

(All shares on a combined overnight 6pm to midnight All People basis)

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Last night. Another Monday night with MasterChef doing well. The AFL game in Melbourne made comparisons hard. Seven was weak everywhere else. A night sacrificed for the AFL’s ambitions and education, that Australians don’t prefer AFL style football to TV entertainment.. Ten won all the key demographics: 18-49, 16 to 39, 25 to 54.

TONIGHT: Top Gear tonight, not last night, on Nine (pay attention Glenn, turn the page in the guide next time, you idiot!). Nine had Two and a Half Men and Big Bang Theory last night. And tonight, Nine has them again, at 9.40pm. The ABC has the Federal Budget at 7.30pm, then chat and discussion afterwards. Seven has Australia’s Got Talent (best new Treasurer?). Ten has MasterChef. Ten also has Bondi Rescue and NCIS. SBS has Insight. Ten’s the night to be whisked away from all your budget woes. The budget will make it one of the dullest nights of the year. Foreign Correspondent at 8pm on the ABC is being pre-empted for vacuous chatter about what the budget means for half an hour.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports