Glenn Dyer’s TV ratings: all eyes on Big Brother

Small smiles at Ten this morning — the metro audience for Wake Up picked up a fraction to average 44,000 from 6:30-8.30am (39,000 on Tuesday and 52,00 on debut Monday). Studio Ten averaged 48,000 in metro markets — up from 45,000 on Tuesday — but still under the 63,000 for the Monday launch. Ten’s PR spin still talking about audience peak and reach — the actual audience numbers must be embarrassing. Ten also did better in prime time last night, or rather the ABC came back to the field because Gruen Planet ended.

Nine’s Big Brother ended last night and Nine won the night  in metro and regional markets (where it was much closer than in the metros). But it was hardly a night to celebrate as the metro ratings performance was sedate to say the least, compared with Seven’s The X Factor or Nine’s The Block. Big Brother Celebration averaged 1.474 million metro viewers and was the most watched program in metro markets followed by The Winner Announced with 1.398 million metro viewers and the Grand Final (all the stuff leading up to the announcement) averaged 1.131 million metro viewers.

Because of either wrong coding by WIN and NBN (which is owned by Nine), or someone forgot, Big Brother was not split up in regional markets like it was in the metro markets. Therefore it is hard to give accurate national figures for the individual components as coded by Nine. Big Brother as a whole had 439,000 regional viewers last night. The average of the three components in the metro markets was 1.366 million. Adding that to the regional figure gives you a national average of 1.805 million, which would have made Big Brother the most watched program on the night. Someone at Nine/WIN/NBN shot themselves in the foot last night.

Seven was weak, with poor figures for SlideShow at 7.30pm (1.043 million national/ 591,000 metro/ 452,000 regional viewers). It is looking as though it won’t be back next year. It is losing support in metro markets, but holding up in the regions. Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (1.140 million national/ 678,000 metro/ 462,000 regional viewers) is also getting weaker in metro markets in particular, but holding up in the regions. There’s also The Bachelor on Ten (957,000 national/ 704,000 metro/ 253,000 regional viewers). Down to the final three turkeys. It will be all over by Thanksgiving.

Network channel share:

1. Nine (34.4%)
2. Seven (25.0%)
3. ABC (17.9%)
4. Ten (17.5%)
5. SBS (5.3%)

Network main channels:

1. Nine (25.5%)
2. Seven  (16.6%)
3. Ten (12.0%)
4. ABC1 (11.5%)
5. SBS ONE (4.6%)

Top digital channels: 

1. GO, 7mate (5.0%)
2. Gem (3.9%)
3. ABC2 (3.8%)
4. 7mate (3.3%)
5. ONE (2.6%)

Top 10 national programs:

1. Nine News — 1.628 million
2. Seven News — 1.621 million
3. Big Brother Celebration (Nine) — 1.474 million
4. Big Brother Winner Announced (Nine) — 1.398 million
5. Home and Away (Seven) — 1.345 million
6. ABC News — 1.263 million
7. Today Tonight (Seven) — 1.231 million
8. Hostages (Nine) — 1.1151 million
9. Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Seven) — 1.140 million
10. Big Brother Grand Final (Nine) — 1.131 million

Top metro programs:

1. Big Brother Celebration (Nine) — 1.474 million
2. Big Brother Winner Announced (Nine) — 1.398 million
3. Nine News — 1.149 million
4. Big Brother  Grand Final (Nine) — 1.131 million
5. Seven News — 1.025 million

Losers:  Wonderland on Ten — 695,000 national/ 502,000 metro/ 193,000 regional viewers. Ja’mie: Private School Girl on ABC1, 788,000 national/ 592,000 metro/ 196,000 regional viewers. Dying. Tractor Monkeys on ABC1, 765,000 national/ 508,000 metro/ 257,000 regional viewers. Couldn’t scratch itself to make the audience laugh.Metro news and current affairs:

1. Nine News — 1.1149 million
2. Seven News — 1.025 million
3. Today Tonight (Seven) — 972,000
4. ABC News — 866,000
5. A Current Affair (Nine) – 720,000
6. 7.30 (ABC1) — 718,000
7. Ten Eyewitness News — 604,000
8. The Project (Ten) — 475,000
9. Lateline (ABC1) — 192,000
10. SBS World News — 172,000

Metro morning TV:

1. Sunrise (Seven) – 387,000
2. Today (Nine) – 306,000
3. The Morning Show (Seven) — 175,000
4. Mornings (Nine) — 95,000
5. News Breakfast (ABC1, 49,000 + 30,000 on News24) — 79,000
6. Studio 10 (Ten) — 48,000
7. Wake Up (Ten) — 44,000

Top five pay TV channels:

1. TV1  (3.3%)
2. LifeStyle  (3.0%)
3. Fox 8  (2.6%)
4. Discovery, Fox Classics (1.6%)
5. Crime & Investigation, UKTV  (1.5%)

Top pay TV programs:

1. Paddock to Plate (LifeStyle) – 100,000
2. NCIS (TV1) — 68,000
3. Family Guy (Fox) – 62,000
4. Grand Designs Australia (LifeStyle) — 54,000
5. The Simpsons (Fox 8), Selling Houses Australia (LifeStyle), Seinfeld (Tv1), The Simpsons (Fox 8) – 52,000

*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.) and network reports.