Boohoo, Mad as Hell left our TV screens last night — but hurrah, it’s due to return in September. Last night was the ABC apology edition. Mad As Hell had 1.073 million national/ 766,000 metro/ 307,000 regional viewers. Replacing it next week will be a new series of QI — yes, Stephen Fry returns to dominate our screens. He’s the ABC’s version of The Big Bang Theory, ratings repeats when needed by desperate programmers (as Nine is showing us this week).

Nine beat Seven last night — the ABC and Ten all but tied for third. It was that sort of night — mostly listless and lacklustre. Nine just pipped Seven in regional markets (overall and in the main channels), but the ABC had more viewers than Ten, both overall and the main channels. Nine News was dominant in Sydney at 6pm, beating Seven News by 140,000 viewers as  people tuned to it to get a wrap up of the day’s political drams. The ABC News in Sydney had 254,000 for its hour to 8pm. That meant Seven News finished third in the news rankings on the biggest day in New South Wales  politics for years. Nine’s winning margins were smaller in Melbourne — 56,000 — and Brisbane — 36,000.

Tonight is more of the same (with the AFL game on Seven the very weak Richmond v Brisbane). Buns and eggs were invented to ease the boredom factor in watching TV at Easter (and we will have wall-to-wall royal coverage, especially from Taronga Zoo on Sunday). Yesterday’s royal tour gush-o-meter peaked on the discussion on Seven and Nine, for example, over her yellow frockie thingie. Seven returns My Kitchen Rules on Monday and Tuesday nights next week. Friday, Saturday and Sunday — ignore unless you like sport. And don’t miss the finale of Janet King tonight on ABC1. It will be worth it.

Network channel share:

  1. Nine (29.5%)
  2. Seven (26.5%)
  3. Ten (19.6%)
  4. ABC (19.5%)
  5. SBS (5.0%)

Network main channels:

  1. Nine (20.5%)
  2. Seven (18.1%)
  3. ABC 1 (12.9%)
  4. Ten (12.6%)
  5. SBS ONE (3.9%)

Top five digital channels: 

  1. Eleven (4.7%)
  2. GO (4.5%)
  3. 7mate, Gem (4.4%)
  4. 7TWO (4.0%)
  5. ABC2 (3.7%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1. Nine News — 1.751 million
  2. Seven News — 1.449 million
  3. Home and Away (Seven) — 1.416 million
  4. ABC1 News  – 1.312 million
  5. A Current Affair (Nine) – 1.207 million
  6.  Nine News 6.30 — 1.143 million
  7. RBT repeat (Nine) — 1.074 million
  8. Mad As Hell (ABC1) — 1.073 million
  9. Highway Patrol repeat (Seven) — 1.068 million
  10. Seven News/Today Tonight — 994,000

Top metro programs:

  1. Nine News — 1.201 million
  2. Nine News 6.30 — 1.143 million
  3. Seven News — 1.084 million

Losers: Everyone who watched TV last night, apart from viewers who Mad as Hell and Spicks and Specs on ABC1 and Puberty Blues on Ten — and the hour-long ABC News from 7pm to 8pm (which included a 7.30) in Sydney, which looked at the day’s political dramas. Ten, Seven and Nine all had solid wrap ups last night — but the ABC took it a little further with a good backgrounder from Adam Harvey (7.30pm) that gave the day some context.Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Nine News — 1.201 million
  2. Nine News 6.30 — 1.143 million
  3. Seven News — 1.084 million
  4. A Current Affair (Nine) – 997,000
  5. Seven News/Today Tonight — 994,000
  6. ABC1 News  – 949,000
  7. Ten News — 655,000
  8. The Project 7 pm (Ten) — 602,000
  9. 7.30 (ABC1) — 409,000*
  10. The Project 6.30pm (Ten) — 382,000

*7.30 in Sydney was subsumed into an hour long 7pm news 

Metro morning TV:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) – 331,000
  2. Today (Nine) – 271,000
  3. The Morning Show (Seven) — 180,000
  4. Mornings (Nine) — 127,000
  5. News Breakfast (ABC1, 66,000 + 50,000 on News 24) — 116,000
  6. Studio 10 (Ten) — 65,000
  7. Wake Up (Ten) — 31,000

Top five pay TV channels:

  1. Fox 8  (3.4%)
  2. LifeStyle (3.0%)
  3. Disney (2.6%)
  4. TVHITS! (2.5%)
  5. Sky News, Crime & Investigation (1.9%)

Top five pay TV programs:

  1. Selling Houses Australia (LifeStyle) – 190,000
  2. AFL: 360 (Fox Footy) — 88,000
  3. The Simpsons, Futurama, The Simpsons (Fox 8) – 74,000
  4. Family Guy (Fox 8) – 69,000
  5. Building The Dream (LifeStyle) – 67,000

*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.) Plus network reports.