Media Watch host Paul Barry (Image: Supplied)
Media Watch host Paul Barry (Image: Supplied)

Second night of summer ratings and snore and bore. Media Watch (639,000) remains the most interesting program, just behind 7.30 (766,000). They are at least still doing what they are supposed to do: cover issues in their area or try to inform. 

So far as TV entertainment is concerned, a motley collection of repeats, z-ranking infomercial programs and pap like Nine’s first of a suck-job series called Inside the Superbrands — 314,000, with Heinz the first of the supposed “super brands”. It was no more “inside” than what Heinz allowed the producers to film. That’s the sort of programming SBS and SBS Food have been reduced to showing (along with wonderfully incisive series on luxury hotels or ocean liners — that’s a Seven speciality).

Heinz is controlled by a joint venture of an aggressive Brazilian investment bank and Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway. Rather than the fiction of a super brand (which Apple, Microsoft or Amazon are), Heinz is a financial play run for cash flow and financial returns. Still, coming from a network that broadcasts hours of infomercials for Lego, why should we be surprised at Inside the Superbrands?

Network channel share:

  1. Nine (30.6%)
  2. Seven (26.6%)
  3. ABC (18.1%)
  4. Ten (15.8%)
  5. SBS (8.9%)

Network main channels:

  1. Nine (19.4%)
  2. Seven (18.6%)
  3. ABC (13.1%)
  4. Ten (9.0%)
  5. SBS ONE (4.8%)

Top 5 digital channels: 

  1. Gem (5.2%)
  2. 7TWO (4.5%)
  3. 10 Bold (3.1%)
  4. 10 Peach (3.0%)
  5. ABC Kids/Plus (2.6%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1. Seven News — 1.315 million
  2. Seven News 6.30 — 1.288 million
  3. Nine News 6.30 — 1 million
  4. Nine News —923,000
  5. A Current Affair (Nine) — 867,000
  6. 7pm ABC News — 843,000
  7. 7.30 (ABC) — 766,000
  8. The Chase Australia 5.30pm (Seven) — 688,000
  9. Border Security (Seven) — 672,000
  10. Media Watch (ABC) — 639,000

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

Regional top 5: Seven News, 484,000; Seven News 6.30, 481,000; 7pm ABC News, 284,000; ACA, 273,000; Nine News, 268,000.

Losers: World Cup still has the best tension on air, and that is very early in the morning. After that… ??

Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Seven News — 831,000
  2. Seven News 6.30 — 807,000
  3. Nine News 6.30 — 733,000
  4. Nine News — 670,000
  5. ACA (Nine) — 594,000
  6. 7pm ABC News — 559,000
  7. 7.30 (ABC) — 501,000
  8. Media Watch (ABC) — 426,000
  9. Australian Story, summer (ABC) — 362,000
  10. The Project 7pm (Ten) — 271,000

Morning (national) TV:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) — 357,000/201,000
  2. Today (Nine) — 267,000/167,000
  3. ABC News Breakfast — 251,000/153,000
  4. ABC News Mornings — 202,000
  5. The Morning Show (Seven) —175,000
  6. Today Extra (Nine) — 129,000
  7. Studio 10 (Ten) — 41,000

Top 5 pay TV programs:

  1. Paul Murray Live (Sky News) — 63,000
  2. The Bolt Report (Sky News) — 50,000
  3. White Lotus (9Fox Showcase) — 49,000
  4. Credlin (Sky News) — 47,000
  5. 24 Hours in Emergency (LifeStyle) — 37,000