(Image: Nine)

Nine’s Parental Guidance (with the obligatory “smacker” to generate social media commentary) was actually interesting, especially if you are in the 18 to 49 breeding demo (877,000 nationally, but could fade). But it appealed to all the major demos and topped the 25 to 54 (when grandchildren emerge in the latter years of the demo).

What also emerged was what is lacking in programs such as Married at First Sight, Love Island, The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, First Dates and of course Big Brother — a lack of parental guidance. A firm parental hand might have saved a lot of people from embarrassing themselves on national TV.

And speaking of Big Brother, the VIP version shuffled into our streams last night on Seven (561,000 nationally, but Seven obviously expects to see a lot streaming) and a more cringeworthy program I haven’t seen for a while. It makes Love Island (282,000 nationally from 9pm, another one surviving on streaming) look like a day in a library. And to think a gang of adult men and women put that tosh to air. 

Ten’s Have You Been Paying Attention? (749,000, after a weak Celebrity MasterChef, 609,000) again stood out for a laugh or two (i.e., entertainment). Four Corners on the ABC, at last gives us the right take on the growing dangers of current house prices (785,000).

And Jana Pittman on Australian Story (837,000) — the last laugh on all those sports writers and other experts who wrote her off and belittled her in her at-times difficult sports career. She has proved herself far better than her detractors: she’s become a doctor, studying for a PhD in obstetrics; is in the army reserve; she was a single mother of one, now a mother of four with twins on the way and a surrogate mother of twins for a same-sex (male) couple. Heroine.

Regional top five: Seven News, 571,000; Seven News 6.30, 546,000; Home and Away, 389,000; 7pm ABC News 372,000; Nine News 6.30, 328,000.

Network channel share:

  1. Nine (29.9%)
  2. Seven (24.2%)
  3. Ten (19.7%)
  4. ABC (18.0%)
  5. SBS (8.2%)

Network main channels:

  1. Nine (20.0%)
  2. Seven (16.6%)
  3. ABC (13.3%)
  4. ABC (12.2%)
  5. SBS ONE (5.1%)

Top 5 digital channels: 

  1. Gem (4.7%)
  2. 10 Bold (4.2%)
  3. 7TWO (3.5)
  4. 7mate (2.8%)
  5. 10 Peach (2.7%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1. Seven News — 1.508 million
  2. Seven News 6.30 — 1.457 million
  3. Nine News 6.30 — 1.217 million
  4. Nine News  — 1.203 million
  5. A Current Affair (Nine) — 1.051 million
  6. 7pm ABC News — 1.003 million
  7. Home and Away (Seven) — 917,000
  8. Parental Guidance (Nine) — 877,000
  9. Australian Story (ABC) — 837,000
  10. 7.30 (ABC) — 829,000

Top metro programs: None with a million or more viewers. 

Losers: Big Brother Celebrity, Celebrity MasterChef.

Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Seven News  — 937,000
  2. Seven News 6.30 — 911,000
  3. Nine News 6.30 — 889,000
  4. Nine News  — 888,000
  5. ACA (Nine) — 736,000
  6. 7pm ABC News — 631,000
  7. Australian Story (ABC) — 539,000
  8. 7.30 (ABC) — 517,000
  9. Four Corners (ABC) — 501,000
  10. Media Watch (ABC) — 445,000

Morning (national) TV:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) — 453,000/263,000
  2. Today (Nine) — 3485,000/239,000
  3. News Breakfast (ABC) — 307,000/202,000
  4. The Morning Show (Seven) — 246,000
  5. Today Extra (Nine) — 165,000
  6. Studio 10 (Ten) —  46,000

Top five pay TV programs: 

  1. Credlin (Sky News) — 61,000
  2. Paul Murray Live (Sky News) — 58,000
  3. Alan Jones (Sky News) — 52,000
  4. The Bolt Report (Sky News) — 51,000
  5. The Kenny Report (Sky News) — 40,000