Seven’s night as The X Factor (2.184 million national/ 1.416 million metro/ 768,000 regional viewers) did the job and helped hold up Winners & Losers (1.497 million national/ 1.009 million metro/ 488,000 regional viewers). They were in fact the only two programs after 7pm with a million or more metro viewers, and without X Factor, Winners & Losers wouldn’t have been up there.

That meant Seven had a clear win in the metros and regions and across the demos. Nine was a distant second and while Ten was third in the metros, the ABC pushed it back to 4th in the regions. But Ten overall had a strong-ish night in the demos, compared with recent performances.

Nine ran dead or wasted the Great Australian Bake Off. Big Brother averaged 1.133 million national/ 871,000 metro/ 262,000 regional viewers, and the Bake Off fell to average 938,000 national/ 622,000 metro/ 316,000 regional viewers. Notice how the Bake Off did far better in the more conservative regional markets than Big Brother did. Seven’s Home and Away whipped Big Brother again, with 1.498 million national/ 916,000 metro/ 582,000 regional viewers. Notice also how regional audiences prefer Home and Away’s young men with attitude and tatts, young girls with low cut clothes, the beach side atmosphere and a group of adults who are as confused about life as the United Nations is about anything. The fake boganism of Big Brother and Sonia Kruger’s attempts to keep it going just don’t cut in regional areas and among the core 16 to 30 viewers.

The Great Australian Bake Off was beaten by a repeat of New Tricks on ABC1 (1.229 million national/ 806,000 metro/ 423,000 regional viewers) and Ten’s Under The Dome (1.188 million national/ 840,000 metro/ 348,000 regional viewers). MasterChef averaged 1.070 million national/ 808,000 metro/262,000 regional viewers.

Highlight of the night was the second part of Stephen McDonell’s excellent story on drugs in China (and Australia) on Foreign Correspondent on ABC1 from 8pm. It averaged 1.039 million national/ 687,000 metro/ 362,000 regional viewers, and it beat Big Brother and MasterChef in the half hour from 8pm in regional markets. Different audiences and appeal, I know, but class wins out in the end and Big Brother ain’t classy TV.

Network channel share:

  1. Seven (33.1%)
  2. Nine (24.3%)
  3. Ten (20.1%)
  4. ABC (17.9%)
  5. SBS (4.7%)

Network main channels:

  1. Seven (25.6%)
  2. Nine (18.4%)
  3. Ten (15.2%)
  4. ABC1 (12.7%)
  5. SBS ONE (4.0%)

Top 5 digital channels: 

  1. 7TWO (4.6%)
  2. GO (3.5%)
  3. ABC2 (3.2%)
  4. 7mate (2.8%)
  5. Eleven (2.5%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1. The X Factor (Seven) — 2.184 million
  2. Seven News — 1.880 million
  3. Nine News — 1.768 million
  4. Home and Away (Seven) – 1.498 million
  5. Winners & Losers (Seven) — 1.497 million
  6. ABC News — 1.379 million
  7. Today Tonight (Seven) — 1.267 million
  8. New Tricks repeat (ABC 1) — 1.229 million
  9. A Current Affair (Nine) — 1.211 million
  10. Under The Dome (Ten) — 1.184 million

Top metro programs:

  1. The X Factor (Seven) — 1.416 million
  2. Seven News — 1.212 million
  3. Nine News — 1.193 million
  4. Winners & Losers (Seven) — 1.009 million
  5. A Current Affair (Nine) — 1.004 million

Losers: I can’t forget The Bible on Nine — the two episodes last night averaged 509,000 national/366,000 metro/ 143,000 regional viewers over the two hours. Like many Australian test batsmen at the moment, it’s barely troubling the statisticians. Another programming triumph and up there with The Mole on Seven and The Americans and Wanted on Ten.Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Seven News — 1.212 million
  2. Nine News — 1.193 million
  3. A Current Affair (Nine) — 1.004 million
  4. Today Tonight (Seven) — 979,000
  5. ABC News  – 928,000
  6. The Project (Ten) — 688,000
  7. Foreign Correspondent (ABC 1) — 687,000
  8. 7.30 (ABC1) — 673,000
  9. Ten News  — 614,000
  10. Insight (SBS ONE) — 224,000

Metro morning TV:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) – 390,000
  2. Today (Nine) – 332,000
  3. News Breakfast (ABC1, 66,000 + 28,000 on News24) — 94,000

Top five pay TV channels:

  1. TV1 (2.6%)
  2. Fox 8 (2.5%)
  3. LifeStyle  (2.2%).
  4. Fox Classics (2.0%)
  5. UKTV. Disney Jr  (1.6%)

Top five pay TV programs:

  1. Australia’s Next Top Model (F0x 8) – 100,000
  2. The Simpsons (Fox 8) – 84,000
  3. AFL: 360 (Fox Footy) – 73,000
  4. Family Guy (Fox 8) – 62,000
  5. Law and Order CI (TV1) – 57,000

Tonight: Hold the pokies: on behalf of the rest of the tonight’s TV viewing cohort, I would like to thank Sky News and News24 for putting principle before ratings and screening the so-called Leaders Forum from the Broncos Rugby League club in Brisbane (6.30pm if you are interested). That is devotion above and beyond the call of duty. For suffering Australian cricket fans, no such luck — the 4th Ashes loss (sorry, the 5th test) starts tonight on Gem. Please avoid and watch Gruen Nation and then the Hamster Decides on ABC1 and enjoy yourselves.

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