Seven’s week again, and the network is setting itself up to keep on winning well into May as My Kitchen Rules meanders to the end of yet another season. But judging by last week’s figures and last night’s effort, it is becoming a bit tiresome. Some of the antics, the cooking and even the judging comments are leaving something to be desired. But that’s a bit quibbly (except for some of the cooking couples who you want to “shirtfront” with a CWA cookbook to wake them up!).  And it will be Seven’s week again this week judging by last night’s performance as Seven won metro and regionals in total people and the major demos.

MKR’s national audience last night was 1.963 million, the first time that figure has dipped under 2 million viewers this season. Repeat and delayed viewing will lift it back above 2 million, but it is a sign that the audience is getting tired of the current lot of very average couples.

Sunday Night’s Martin Bryant special episode did the job — more than 1.8 million national and 1.2 million metro viewers — and it whipped 60 Minutes with ease. It could only manage 1.066 million at 7pm (right up against MKR). Sunday Night followed MKR and therefore had a far better lead in. The near 800,000 winning margin last night though was more than just timing. Partly due to MKR, but also to weak content, 60 Minutes has made a spluttering start to the year for new EP, Kirsty Thomson. A rough initiation. Doc Martin averaged more than 1.5 million nationally for the ABC at 7.40pm, and then over 600,000 viewers fled when Call The Midwife (913,000) started at 8.30pm. Odd. Both and solid feel good stories.

The most watched regional programs last night were: Sunday Night with 652,000 (a bit of a surprise, usually it’s MKR); MKR, 638,000; Seven News, 511,000; Doc Martin, 488,000 and Nine News, 447,000.

Seven though has a problem in metro breakfast that won’t go away. Today won the battle with Sunrise, making it now three wins and a draw in the first four weeks of 2016 rating. Today had 328,000 metro viewers, Sunrise, 313,000. Nationally Sunrise won with 545,000 to 476,000 viewers. Weekend Sunrise yesterday got beaten in the metros by Weekend Today, again — 297,000 metro viewers to 271,000.

The message from the first four weeks of ratings is that Nine is in a diabolical hole. Nothing is working except perhaps the 6pm News and fresh episodes of The Big Bang Theory. While it is battling away in second, I’m A Celebrity is doing well for Ten and the ABC is hanging in, but not doing quite as well as Ten had planned. Australia’s Got Talent on Nine is a dud, MKR had 1.1 million more viewers last night nationally. Nine said today it got the highest shares of the year so far in some demos — which it did. Seven’s were higher, even with MKR again off the boil a little.

Network channel share:

  1. Seven (32.5%)
  2. Nine (24.9%)
  3. Ten (18.5%)
  4. ABC (17.8%)
  5. SBS (6.3%)

Network main channels:

  1. Seven (26.1%)
  2. Nine (16.3%)
  3. ABC (13.3%)
  4. Ten (12.3%)
  5. SBS ONE (5.1%)

Top 5 digital channels: 

  1. GO (3.3%)
  2. Eleven (3.2%)
  3. ONE (3.0%)
  4. 7TWO (2.8%)
  5. 7mate (2.5%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1. MKR (Seven) — 1.963 million
  2. Sunday Night (Seven) — 1.853 million
  3. Doc Martin (ABC) — 1.543 million
  4. Nine News — 1.487 million
  5. Seven News — 1.486 million
  6. ABC News — 1.193 million
  7. 60 Minutes (Nine) — 1.066 million
  8. Call The Midwife (ABC) — 913,000
  9. I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here: Elimination (Ten) — 872,000
  10. Australia’s Got Talent (Nine) — 849,000

Top metro programs:

  1. MKR (Seven) — 1.325 million
  2. Sunday Night (Seven) — 1.201 million
  3. Doc Martin (ABC) — 1.055 million
  4. Nine News — 1.040 million

Losers: Nine. It says it did a bit better, but Seven did better again. The People v OJ Simpson on Ten: who cares? The real story is the damage the cult of celebrity causes to people and society. The Kardashian monster was born with this story.Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Sunday Night (Seven) — 1.201 million
  2. Nine News — 1.040 million
  3. Seven News — 977,000
  4. ABC News — 782,000
  5. 60 Minutes (Nine) — 733,000
  6. SBS World News — 188,000

Morning TV:

  1. Insiders (ABC, 279,000, News 24, 116,000) — 395,000
  2. Weekend Today (Nine) – 297,000
  3. Landline (ABC) – 288,000
  4. Weekend Sunrise (Seven) — 271,000
  5. Offsiders (ABC) — 191,000

Top five pay TV channels:

  1. Fox Sports 1 (4.4%)
  2. Fox Sports 5 (3.7%)
  3. Foxtel Movies Premiere (2.3%)
  4. Fox 8  (2.1%)
  5. Fox Sports 3 (1.9%)

Top five pay TV programs:

  1. NRL: Newcastle. Gold Coast (Fox Sports 1) – 239,000
  2. NRL: Easts v Souths (Fox Sports 1) — 173,000
  3. V8 Supercars, Adelaide(Fox Sports 5) — 162,000
  4. NRL: Sunday Ticket (Fox Sports 1) – 144,000
  5. Supercars Adelaide (Fox Sports 5) – 115,000

*Data © OzTAM Pty Limited 2016. 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.