Under Investigation and the case of the missing viewers

It was Nine’s night on TV but not its day in the boardroom as the underlying split that erupted last year over departing CEO Hugh Marks re-emerged.

On the small screen last night it was MAFS, again with an improved national audience of 1.35 million. Nine’s true crime exploiter Under Investigation debuted strong on 1.06 million but suffered from 290,000 or so viewers from MAFS switching off. MAFS topped a million metro viewers, was the most watched program in metro markets and fourth most watched in the regions.

Seven was a very distant second and the ABC did Ten in total people and the main channels. But Ten, with the softening The Amazing Race Australia (663,000), did better in the demos. Oh, and Holey Moley — 512,000. Painful. Seven’s James Warburton wastes a million or three.

We presume that Liz Hayes will have her crack Under Investigation gang on the case of the Nine boardroom split which has seen director Patrick Allaway quit and Nick Falloon under pressure (both are former Fairfax). It all sounds like the corporate version of MAFS or Married With Children.

In regional TV it was Seven News, 578,000; Seven News 6.30, 522,000; 7pm ABC News, 354,000; MAFS, 337,000; Home and Away, 334,000.

Network channel share:

1. Nine (34.3%)
2. Seven (24.0%)
3. ABC (18.4%)
4. Ten (16.8%)
5. SBS (6.5%)

Network main channels:

1. Nine (27.2%)
2. Seven (15.3%)
3. ABC (14.1%)
4. Ten (9.6%)
5. SBS ONE (3.9%)

Top 5 digital channels:

1. 10 Bold (4.3%)
2. 7mate(3.9%)
3. 7TWO (3.7%)
4. 10 Peach (2.4%)
5. ABC Kids/Comedy/Plus, Gem (2.2%)

Top 10 national programs:

1. Seven News — 1.562 million
2. Seven News 6.30 — 1.538 million
3. MAFS (Nine) — 1.357 million
4. Nine News 6.30 — 1.226 million
5. Nine News — 1.222 million
6. 7pm ABC News — 1.079 million
7. Under Investigation (Nine) — 1.067 million
8. A Current Affair (Nine) — 1.037 million
9. Australian Story (ABC) — 974,000
10. 7.30 (ABC) — 913,000

Top metro programs:

1. 1MAFS (Nine) — 1.020 million

Losers: Holey Moley, still a dud of the year contender

Metro news and current affairs:

1. Seven News 6.30 — 986,000
2. Seven News — 984,000
3. Nine News — 959,000
4. Nine News 6.30 — 931,000
5. Under Investigation (Nine) — 755,000
6. ACA (Nine) — 729,000
7. 7pm ABC News — 725,000
8. Australian Story (ABC) — 654,000
9. 7.30 (ABC) — 620,000
10. Four Corners (ABC) — 549,000
    
    Morning (National) TV:

1. Sunrise (Seven) — 403,000/222,000
2. Today (Nine) — 301,000/190,000
3. News Breakfast (ABC) — 285,000/189,000
4. The Morning Show (Seven) — 205,000
5. Today Extra (Nine) — 153,000
6. Studio 10 (Ten) — 49,000

Top five pay TV programs:

1. The Bolt Report (Sky News) — 72,000
2. Alan Jones (Sky News) — 71,000
3. Paul Murray Live (Sky News) — 68,000
4. Credlin (Sky News) — 65,000
5. Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (Fox8), PML Later (Sky News) — 39,000