The less said about last night and the rest of the coming week, so far as TV is concerned, the better. Insiders, and even the Bolter were missed yesterday morning ahead of Joe Hockey’s now familiar pre-Christmas whinge about nasty Labor and the black hole they left me. Some decent context to The Cigar’s rantings on deficits and debt was sorely missed, especially on News 24.

But wasn’t the final hour or so of the final day of the Adelaide Test great TV on Saturday? Nine says that 6:08pm when Nathan Lyon had Ishant Sharma stumped to win the game, 2.446 million people were watching. The excitement only matched (in my fading memory, I missed the last couple of Ashes tests earlier this year) by the 2007 World Cup win by Australia over Sri Lanka in the dusk of the West Indies, or the improbable win by Australia against England in 2006 in Adelaide. Does anything else stick in the mind?

A few Christmas tarts, a cup of tea or three and  three games of croquet and some great salads certainly helped me enjoy yesterday, but last night — no dessert. A repeat of a repeat of a repeat of Midsomer Murders, Miss Marple or Poirot would have been better than most of last night’s offerings. In metro markets, the digital channels had a combined share of 34.6%, in the metros, the share was higher, 38.3%. That says it about the quality of the main channel programming. The networks don’t really care, a person watching a digital channel is just as valuable as someone sticking with the main channel.

Shaun Micallef’s adventures in Indian spiritualism on SBS ONE at 7.30 was mildly entertaining, but somehow I was waiting for the wild man of Mad As Hell to appear. After The Wave on SBS at 8.30pm was mildly interesting, but why not a three parter on the Boxing Day tsunami (and the Aceh quake)? Sunday Night and 60 Minutes> are going through the motions, and viewers have spotted the second class fare, especially from 60 Minutes. Tonight is little better — 7.30 perhaps, and then you’re on your own.

Network channel share:

  1. Seven (29.3%)
  2. Nine (28.0%)
  3. Ten (20.5%)
  4. ABC (15.2%)
  5. SBS (7.0%)

Network main channels:

  1. Nine (19.0%)
  2. Seven (18.8%)
  3. Ten (11.6%)
  4. ABC (10.4%)
  5. SBS ONE (5.7%)

Top 5 digital channels: 

  1. 7TWO (6.9%)
  2. GO (5.9%)
  3. ONE (4.6%)
  4. Eleven 3.9%)
  5. 7mate (3.6%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1. Nine News
  2. Seven News — 1.346 million
  3. Sunday Night (Seven) — 1.292 million
  4. 60 Minutes (Nine) — 1.068 million
  5. ABC News —  1.063 million
  6. Coastwatch Oz (Seven) — 958,000
  7. The Chase (Seven) — 950,000
  8. Bones (Seven) — 793,000
  9. Antiques Roadshow (ABC) — 793,000
  10. Modern Family repeat episode 2 (Ten) — 769,000

Top metro programs:

  1. Nine News — 1.036 million

Losers: Goes without saying, all of us still needing our TV fix.Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Nine News — 1.036 million
  2. Seven News — 881,000
  3. Sunday Night (Seven) – 836,000
  4. ABC News — 705,000
  5. 60 Minutes (Nine) – 693,000
  6. Ten Eyewitness News — 412,000
  7. SBS World News — 132,000

Morning TV:

  1. Weekend Sunrise (Seven) – 280,000
  2. Weekend Today (Nine) – 249,000

Top five pay TV channels:

  1. Foxtel Movies Premiere (3.1%)
  2. Fox8 (2.9%)
  3. LifeStyle (2.3%)
  4. A&E (1.9%)
  5. Crime & Investigation (1.9%)

Top five pay TV programs:

  1. Doc Martin (UKTV) – 79,000
  2. Lone Survivor (Foxtel Movies Premiere) – 75,000
  3. EPL: Man United v Liverpool (Fox Sports 4) – 65,000
  4. The Big Bang Theory (Comedy Channel) – 64,000
  5. The Simpsons (Fox8) — 63,000

*Data © OzTAM Pty Limited 2013. The data may not be reproduced, published or communicated (electronically or in hard copy) in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of OzTAM. (All shares on the basis of combined overnight 6pm to midnight all people.) and network reports.