An easy win for Nine in metro areas last night thanks to The Block (1.282 million nationally), but Seven won the regionals just as comfortably. And that was the night. Nothing stunning or shocking — a FAQ night in late ratings.

But (isn’t there always a “but”?) what would you get if you crossed BBQ Heroes (1.007 million nationally) on Seven with Kitchen Cabinet on the ABC (909,000 nationally) and Celebrity Apprentice on Nine (880,000 nationally)? Would you get a) a badly cooked picnic basket (Kitchen Cabinet), b) a singed hair do or three (Celebrity Apprentice), or c) the return of The Great Outdoors (BBQ Heroes).

We are now in that time late in ratings, approaching the “anything goes” desperation of TV programming for summer, where, well, almost anything goes — hence BBQ Heroes last night (a little bit Lost perhaps?). BBQ Heroes is really a segment from Better Homes and Gardens which escaped confinement

The Celebrity Apprentice only remains on air because Mr Bouris’ Yellow Brick Road finances much of its production costs and ad support.It harks back to the mindset among TV executives and many in business from the 1990s and Donald Trump (when he was a champeen bullsh&tter) … hang on, he’s still tormenting Americans in 2015, just as Celebrity Apprentice is torturing Australians with a type of TV that is out of date.

Kitchen Cabinet suits the time of the ratings year with something light, bright and forgettable — a bit like a souffle! It would have been better rested until the 2016 election campaign when it could have run as a four part or six part series looking at the eating habits of three opposition and three government members, plus a couple of Greens/Independents.

Network channel share:

  1. Nine (31.6%)
  2. Seven (27.8%)
  3. ABC (18.3%)
  4. Ten (16.3%)
  5. SBS (6.0%)

Network main channels:

  1. Nine (22.2%)
  2. Seven (19.0%)
  3. ABC (12.4%)
  4. Ten (10.8%)
  5. SBS ONE (4.6%)

Top 5 digital channels: 

  1. GO (5.6%)
  2. 7TWO (5.3%)
  3. Gem (3.8%)
  4. 7mate (3.4%))
  5. Eleven (2.8%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1. Nine News — 1.421 million
  2. Seven News — 1.326 million
  3. The Block (Nine) — 1.282million
  4. Home and Away (Seven) — 1.250 million
  5. ABC News — 1.063 million
  6. Seven News/ Today Tonight — 1.054 million
  7. Nine News 6.30 — 1.042 million
  8. A Current Affair (Nine) — 1.056 million
  9. 7.30 (ABC) — 1.026 million
  10. Aussie BBQ Heroes (Seven) — 1.007 million

Top metro programs:

  1. Nine News — 1.052 million
  2. Seven News — 1.050 million
  3. Nine News 6.30 — 1.042 million
  4. Seven News/ Today Tonight — 1.009 million

Losers: Anyone who stuck with the finale of Celebrity Apprentice, or BBQ Heroes (or Kitchen Cabinet for that matter).

Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Nine News –– 1.052 million
  2. Seven News — 1.050 million
  3. Nine News 6.30 — 1.042 million
  4. Seven News/ Today Tonight — 1.009 million
  5. A Current Affair (Nine) – 907,000
  6. ABC News – 834,000
  7. 7.30 (ABC) — 727,000
  8. The Project 7pm (Ten) — 564,000
  9. Ten Eyewitness News — 503,000
  10. The Project 6.30pm (Ten) — 428,000

Morning TV:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) – 333,000
  2. Today (Nine) – 332,000
  3. News Breakfast (ABC 1,  96,000 + 50,000 on News 24) — 146,000
  4. The Morning Show (Seven) — 145,000
  5. Mornings (Nine) — 117,000
  6. Studio 10 (Ten) — 78,000

Top five pay TV channels:

  1. Fox 8  (2.6%)
  2. LifeStyle  (2.5%)
  3. UKTV (2.0%)
  4. TVHITS (1.9%)
  5. Nick Jr (1.8%)

Top five pay TV programs:

  1. Gogglebox Australia (LifeStyle) – 131,000
  2. The Flash (Fox8) — 110,000
  3. The Simpsons (Fox8) – 673,000
  4. Peppa Pig (Nick Jr) – 68,000
  5. Paw Patrol (Nick Jr) — 66,000

*Data © OzTAM Pty Limited 2015. 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.