The Winners: Underbelly was again top with 2.126 million viewers for Nine, Seven News was second with 1.628 million and Nine’s Customs at 8pm averaged 1.460 million. 4th was Today Tonight with 1.447 million, 5th was Crime Investigations Australia at 9.30pm on Nine with 1.252 million and A Current Affair was 6th with 1.233 million. Nine News averaged 1.230 million in 7th (still 400,000 behind Seven though) and the fresh episode of Two and a Half Men averaged 1.184 million at 7.30pm. The 7pm ABC News averaged 349,000, Ten’s Comedy special at 8.30pm averaged 1.147 million and Home and Away continued to sag at 7pm for Seven with 1.118 million, just in front of The Biggest Loser at 7pm on Ten with 1.101 million in 12th spot. The 7pm repeat of Two and a Half Men averaged 1.038 million and So You Think You Can Dance Australia from 7.30pm to 8.30pm on Ten averaged 1.024 million. The 7.30 Report averaged 1.014 million for the ABC in 15th spot. Desperate Housewives at 8.30pm on Seven. 979,000. Top Gear on SBS at 7.30pm, 897,000. Brothers & Sisters on Seven at 9.30pm, 874,000.

The Losers: Last night. Not much. Scrubs, 877,000, How I met Your Mother, 949,000. Not quite duds, but close, as Seven hangs in and pitches to female viewers while Underbelly is on. The Cut, 341,000 for its final episode. Still lots of promise. I shouldn’t say this, but the end was perhaps the cleverest part of the whole story line.

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally and in every market; Today Tonight won everywhere bar Melbourne. Nine was close in Melbourne, distant in Sydney where audiences were boosted by a terrible traffic/power outage story or two and the very dark evenings. Nine was still weak though in Sydney; its 310,000 audience was OK, but Seven was far ahead on 461,000 and the 7pm ABC News had 349,000 viewers in Sydney. The 7.30 Report with 329,000 viewers had more viewers in Sydney than Nine News or ACA which had 321,000. Not strong enough, unlike Melbourne. Ten News averaged 937,000 nationally. The Late News/Sports Tonight, 684,000 (a very solid figure). Four Corners averaged 632,000 and Media Watch, 480,000. The Four Corners story was a sort of co-operative piece involving it and the Melbourne Age. Underbelly is hurting Four Corners but last night’s report sent viewers elsewhere. Media Watch was hurt as a result. Lateline averaged 224,000, Lateline Business, 146,000. 6.30pm SBS News, 160,000, 156,000 for the late edition. 7am Sunrise, 355,000, 7am Today, 279,000.

The Stats: Nine won All People 6pm to midnight with 31.5% (31.1%) from Seven with 24.0% (25.6%), Ten on 23.6% (20.3%), the ABC on 14.2% (16.1%) and SBS on 6.7% (7.0%). Nine won everywhere bar Perth where Seven snuck home. Nine leads the week, 28.5% to 25.6% for Ten and 25.2% for Seven. Ten said it won 16 to 39s. In the bush a clear win for Nine with WIN/NBN on 31.7%, Prime/7Qld on 22.6%, Southern Cross (Ten) with 18.8%, the ABC with 16.8% and SBS on 10.1%. Ten’s The Biggest Loser and So You Think You Can Dance Australia didn’t rate at all in regional areas last night again. Nor did Underbelly in Queensland where Prime/7Qld was an easy winner, which remains odd.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Monday is Underbelly night as it was again last night. The audience was up a touch on the previous week. That was the end of story, except for Ten’s best results night for some weeks, with The Biggest Loser having its best Monday “results” program, so far this series. Top Gear was another outdated archival program that will make SBS some money. Someone talked about Gerhard Schroeder as if the former German Chancellor was still in power and an object of Pommy scorn: he’s long gone and associating with Russian business types.

Australian Story on the ABC at 8pm averaged 859,000 for its uneasy exclusive with swimmer Nick Darcy. A Current Affair averaged over 1.2 million for its very solid exclusive with the man he hit, Simon Cowley. Tracy Grimshaw excelled in this interview and the audience responded, and in doing so also gave their verdict of who they thought was more sympathetic and believable. They tuned in to ACA in far greater numbers

Australian Story got a lot of pre-publicity, as did the Four Corners story last night on counselling needs of returning soldiers. is that why both were underwatched; especially Four Corners?

TONIGHT: Is this the night when Ten wins Tuesday nights now that Packed To the Rafters is being rested by Seven, or will All Saints, helped by Animal Rescue and Find My Family, get Seven home? Ten has NCIS fresh and in repeat, on top of Bondi Rescue and The Biggest Loser. Nine has three episodes of Two and a Half Men, the silly Wipeout Australia and yet another repeat of the movie, The Castle. That’s tired, cheap TV. SBS has Insight, the ABC is bare except for Foreign Correspondent at 9.30pm and The 7.30 Report.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports