Once again a TV network has proven to be not very clever (dumb would be a better word) by returning a flagship “reality” program up against a returning newer flagship reality program, against a flagship reality program already in full series.
And so it was last night when Ten brought back The Masked Singer (874,000 for the performances, 760,000 for the reveal). A bad look — 13% of the audience didn’t want to see who the revealed performer was.
It was beaten by Four Corners on the ABC with 943,000 national viewers who watched a solid exposé of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and before that Australian Story with 944,000 and 7.30 with 977,000.
Seven returned SAS Australia — 965,000. OK, but more than a million would have been better. The Block on Nine with another mixmaster moment — 1.19 million and topped the key demos. Both hurt The Masked Singer which is the more entertaining and appealing program — except for the panel, but then they are paid to be over the top and sound foolish.
Seven won the night because of its 6 to 7pm news, Home and Away and SAS Australia did a little better than the lower rating Nine’s hour of news, ACA (which had more viewers than Home and Away, but not too many) and The Block which outranked SAS Australia.
Have You Been Paying Attention? held most of The Masked Singer’s audience with 870,000. Seven’s faux Underbelly rip, Australian Gangster, followed SAS Australia — just 510,000 national viewers from 9.10pm to 10.50pm. That was enough to control the back end of the night for Seven but it started in fourth and went on and on as smart viewers went to bed.
Ten’s main channel finished fourth in total people behind Seven, Nine and the ABC. SAS Australia, The Block and The Masked Singer go toe to toe tonight, with Australian Gangster holding up the back end of the night — again with the second of two parts.
Breakfast: Sunrise, 449,000 nationally and 268,000 metro; Today, 367,000 and 252,000; News Breakfast, 304,000 and 185,000.
Regional top five: Seven News, 701,000; Seven News 6.30, 663,000; 7pm ABC News 439,000, Nine News, 397,000; Australian Story, 391,000.
Network channel share:
- Seven (28.2%)
- Nine (27.0%)
- Ten (20.0%)
- ABC (18.8%)
- SBS (6.0%)
Network main channels:
- Seven (22.5%)
- Nine (19.7%)
- ABC (14.3%)
- Ten (14.0%)
- SBS ONE (3.8%)
Top 5 digital channels:
- 10 Bold (3.8%)
- GO (2.8%)
- 7TWO (2.6%)
- Gem (2.5%)
- ANC Kids/Plus (2.4%)
Top 10 national programs:
- Seven News — 1.876 million
- Seven News 6.30 — 1.828 million
- Nine News — 1.420 million
- Nine News 6.30 — 1.377 million
- The Block (Nine) — 1.197 million
- 7pm ABC News — 1.193 million
- A Current Affair (Nine) — 1.143 million
- Home and Away (Seven) — 1.065 million
- The Chase Australia 5.30pm (Seven) — 980,000
- 7.30 (ABC) — 977,000
Top metro programs:
1. Seven News — 1.193 million
2. Seven News 6.30 –1.173 million
3. Nine News — 1.041 million
4. Nine News 6.30 — 1.007 million
Losers: Ten and The Masked Singer. SAS Australia on Seven
Metro news and current affairs:
- Seven News — 1.193 million
- Seven News 6.30 — 1.173 million
- Nine News — 1.041 million
- Nine News 6.30 — 1.007 million
- ACA (Nine) — 800,000
- 7pm ABC News — 774,000
- 7.30 (ABC) — 636,000
- Four Corners (ABC) — 621,000
- Australian Story (ABC) — 608,000
- The Project 7pm (Ten) — 543,000
Morning (national) TV:
- Sunrise (Seven) — 449,000/268,000
- Today (Nine) — 367,000/252,000
- News Breakfast (ABC) — 304,000/184,000
- The Morning Show (Seven) — 268,000
- Today Extra (Nine) — 200,000
- Studio 10 (Ten) — 52,000
Top 5 pay TV programs:
- Credlin (Sky News) — 76,000
- The Bolt Report (Sky News) — 75,000
- AFL: 360 (Fox Footy) — 73,000
- AFL: On the Couch (Fox Footy) — 67,000
- Paul Murray Live, Alan Jones (Sky News) — 65,000
How does The Block still enjoy good ratings? Dead hose – flogged. I know it appeals to the vacuous and the greedy, so that covers a lot of people, but surely they also have to get bored with it. We receive exactly what we deserve, it seems, on TV and in politics.
Dead hose, yes of course. Maybe dead horse.