Now how was that for a wasted night of TV viewing – if you lasted? There must have been quite a few TV sets on blaring to empty rooms or dozing couches. It was as though the second and third tier programming on the various digital channels had been promoted to the Premier League of the main channels last night. Even the ABC’s fresh line up snored for Australia.

Seven News gave Nine News another whacking nationally and in the metros. Seven won Sydney and Melbourne for a second night in a row, won Adelaide and Perth as usual and lost Brisbane by just 1,000. There’s a lot of repair work ahead of Nine over the break and in the opening months of 2017 ratings. And it will (with Southern Cross) also have to bed down its revamp of their regional News effort.

Nine News had 1.127 million viewers nationally from 6 to 6.30pm and Seven News had 1.596 million: a gap of more than 460,000 viewers. In the metros the gap was 192,000. The 5.30pm bit of The Chase Australia had 990,000 national viewers, Nine’s Hot Seat had 609,000. That’s a gap of 381,000 and where Nine has to act first if it is to revamp its news, just as Seven did with The Chase (buying an ITV format from the UK).

So Seven’s night in both metro and regional markets (Ten slipped into second place in the metro main channels). First Dates had 1.057 million national viewers and dominated the demos). Again stood out because of the gameness of the daters to enter into the spirit of things.

In regional markets Seven News was again the most watched program with 587,000 viewers, followed by Seven News/Today Tonight with 512,000. Home and Away was third with 481,000, then the 5.30pm bit of The Chase Australia with 420,000 and fifth was First Dates with 394,000.

Tonight is worse (My Kindle is calling. What’s on it, again?). — Click here to read Glenn Dyer’s full TV Ratings.