Glenn Dyer's TV Ratings, Aug 21, 2017

Nine’s night easily, as The Block scored another season topping set of figures — 1.97 million nationally, it topped the metros with 1.34 million and came second in the regionals with 624,000. Seven’s Sunday Night did well with 1.48 million nationally with a report on the Ibrahim family of Sydney.

It was the 300th ep of Sunday Night in eight years according to Melissa Doyle, and to celebrate, Seven is dropping it next week (which is not fair after the solid figures for last night) and finally bringing Little Big Shots into the schedule — the same Little Big Shots which, having been heavily promoted, was dropped to avoid being crushed by Nine’s Australian Ninja Warriors. Now it is up against The Block next Sunday at 7pm. Good luck. Seven has another Diana story which hopefully will be the last of this tiresome subject until at least the 25th anniversary of her death.

Midsomer Murders returned with the first of two episodes (the final is next Sunday) — it did OK with 1.01 million national viewers for the ABC. For Seven and Ten their big name programs — Hell’s Kitchen Australia and Australian Survivor could not be separated nationally last night — 828,000 viewers. Sums up their night — the sum of those two expensive programs nationally – (1.55 million) was 400,000 behind that of The Block. That says it all! With Barrie Cassidy in Italy for two weeks, Chris Uhlmann filled in admirably on Insiders (540,000 nationally) and gave Senator Arthur Sinodonis an excruciating grilling. Next week the auditioning host is 7.30’s Andrew Probyn, another sharp mind.

In regional markets Seven News was tops with 633,000, followed by The Block with 624,000, then Sunday Night with 537,000, followed by Nine/NBN News 6.30 with 505,000 and Nine.NBN News with 473,000.

Network channel share: