Seven won all people narrowly, Nine had the demographics, Ten did OK with the finale of The Biggest Loser, and the Bill Gates Q&A stood out on ABC1. The Biggest Loser averaged 1.695 million national/ 1.248 million metro/447,000 regional for the end bit where the winner is announced (it doesn’t really matter). The program proper averaged 1.498 million national/ 1.108 million metro/ 390,000 regional viewers. The average for the broadcast was 1.597 million national/ 1.178 million metro/ 419,000 regional.

Unlike MasterChef: The Professionals (whose finale failed to top its opening episode), The Biggest Loser managed to get more viewers than the opening episode on March 17 of 1.086 million national/ 815,000 metro/ 271,000 regional viewers. So on that basis, it will be back on Ten in 2014 — just that little bit of life last night, But it’s soooo much of a drag getting to the end, like all reality programs these days …

While Seven won nationally and in the metro and regional markets, Nine won Sydney and Melbourne by solid margins, Seven won Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth (by a mile) and won in regional markets (overall and the main channels).

No house reveal on Seven’s House Rules last night, and it was back under a million metro viewers (1.433 million national/ 908,000 metro/ 525,000 regional viewers). The Block (1.708 million nationally/ 1.244 million metro/ 464,000 regional viewers) had more metro viewers, but House Rules again had more regional viewers.

Viewers are tiring of Celebrity Apprentice, which continues to dip in the ratings — just 999,000 national/ 725,000 metro/ 264,000 regional for the challenge section last night and 905,000 national/ 663,000 metro/ 242,000 regional viewers for the boardroom part. The program average was 952,000 national/ 694,000 metro/ 253,000 regional viewers.

Back on May 7 the challenge part of the program had 1.777 million national/ 1.276 million metro and 501,000 regional viewers, while the boardroom section had 1.129 million national/ 829,000 metro/ 300,000 regional viewers and a program average of 1.453 million national/ 1.055 million metro/ 398,000 regional viewers. So the program last night had 500,000 fewer national viewers, with the metro market audience falling by 361,000 and the regional audience dropping by 103,000 people. It is suffering from the same disease that blighted The Biggest Loser this year — viewer familiarity and tiredness with the idea. Viewers will return for the climax, as usual, and that will be that.

Network channel share:

  1. Seven (30.4%)
  2. Nine (27.2%)
  3. Ten (20.4%)
  4. ABC (16.5%)
  5. SBS (5.4%)

Network main channels:

  1. Seven (21.5%)
  2. 7Mate (20.3%)
  3. Ten (14.8%)
  4. ABC1 (11.7%)
  5. SBS ONE (4.7%)

Top five digital channels:

  1. 7TWO (5.8%)
  2. GO (4.4%)
  3. 7mate (3.0%)
  4. ABC2 (2.7%)
  5. Gem (2.5%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1. Nine News — 2.008 million
  2. Seven News — 1.898 million
  3. The Block (Nine) – 1.708 million
  4. The Biggest Loser — winner (Ten) — 1.695 million
  5. Packed To The Rafters (Seven) — 1.630 million
  6. The Biggest Loser (Ten) — 1.498 million
  7. Home and Away (Seven) — 1.462 million
  8. House Rules (Seven) — 1.433 million
  9. ABC1 News — 1.418 million
  10. Today Tonight (Seven) — 1.418 million

Top metro programs:

  1. Nine News — 1.328 million
  2. Seven News — 1.276 million
  3. The Biggest Loser — winner (Ten) — 1.248 million
  4. The Block (Nine) — 1.244 million
  5. Today Tonight (Seven) — 1.141 million
  6. The Biggest Loser (Ten) –1.108 million
  7. A Current Affair (Nine) — 1.099 million
  8. Packed To the Rafters (Seven) — 1.048 million

Losers: Anyone who didn’t watch the special Q&A with Bill Gates last night on ABC1. It was intelligent TV at its best, well hosted, great questions and great answers from Gates. Only on the ABC would we have had an hour of actual content — that would not have happened on Seven, Nine, Ten or SBS, where the content would have been interrupted by numerous ad breaks.Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Nine News  – 1.328 million
  2. Seven News — 1.276 million
  3. Today Tonight (Seven) — 1.141 million
  4. A Current Affair (Nine) — 1.099 million
  5. ABC1 News — 938,000
  6. Q&A With Bill Gates (ABC1) — 699,000 + 93,000 on News 24
  7. 7.30 (ABC1) — 734,000
  8. Ten News — 681,000
  9. The Project (Ten) — 577,000
  10. Insight (SBS ONE) — 251,000

Metro morning TV:

  1. Today (Nine) – 359,000
  2. Sunrise (Seven) – 334,000
  3. News Breakfast (ABC1) – 62,000 + 31,000 on News 24

Top five pay TV channels:

  1. TV1 – 3.0%
  2. Fox 8 – 2.7%
  3. LifeStyle – 2.1%
  4. Fox Classics – 2.0%
  5. UKTV – 1.6%.

Top five pay TV programs:

  1. Modern Family (Fox 8) – 107,000
  2. The Simpsons (Fox 8) – 98,000
  3. AFL: 360 (Fox Footy) – 92,000
  4. Family Guy (Fox 8) – 91,000
  5. Modern Family (Fox 8) – 67,000

Tonight: House Rules on Seven, The Block on Nine, Offspring on Ten (the best tonight), QI on ABC1 with Julia Zemiro a panel member.

*Data © OzTAM Pty Limited 2013. The data may not be reproduced, published or communicated (electronically or in hard copy) in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of OzTAM. (All shares on the basis of combined overnight 6pm to midnight all people.) Plus network reports.