TV Ratings: Reality rules over Nauru

So much to talk about! Malcolm was cranky on Q&A — Bill Shorten handled Tony Jones more smoothly by putting down the ABC’s smarm merchant rather than haranguing Jones for being pro-ALP, which people who also watched the ALP’s leader’s appearance last Monday night will dispute. Mal’s appearance did better than Bill’s did a week ago with viewers: 872,000 national viewers against 744,000. But neither matched the regular program on June 6 which featured Barnaby Joyce and Tony Windsor among the five panelists. It averaged 972,000.

Then there was The Briefcase on Nine after ACA’s Nauru trip. It a good effort and all I would like to see if the results of a visit without advance warning produced anything different to what we saw last night. ACA had 1.100 million national viewers last night — no real difference to most Monday or Tuesday night audiences. Its metro audience was around its recent level: 930,000. No ratings oomph from this, despite all the breathless promotion from last Friday onwards over the weekend.

And on The Briefcase, why didn’t Nine just give $50,000 to each of the families featured last night? Simpler, more generous and the least exploitative option than what we saw last night. The Briefcase averaged 980,000 national viewers: 733,000 metro and 247,000 regional viewers. That is barely enough (especially in the metros) to keep it alive. How many will return next Monday night to watch this grubby program which exploits the essential good nature of people?

In Breakfast Today (340,000) was back in front of Sunrise (303,000), but Studio 10 jumped to 112,000, a very solid figure.

Overall Seven was a narrow winner in the metros. Ten and the ABC were also neck and neck. But in the regions it was Seven in front by quite a distance from Nine with the ABC and Ten tight for third. Masterchef topped the million viewer mark in the metros with 1.064 million. House Rules managed 963,000. But nationally House Rules ended ahead with 1.558 million to MCA’s 1.399 million (That’s nearly 3 million people watching both programs last night). House Rules was in fact the most watched non-news program last night, MCA was the second.

In the regions Seven News was tops with 681,000, House Rules was second with 594,000, The Chase Australia 5.30pm was on 544,000, Seven News/ Today Tonight was fourth with 520,000 and Home and Away was fifth with 500,000 – and that is why Seven ruled the regions last night.

Network channel share:

Seven (26.4%)
Nine (25.2%)
Ten (23.0%)
ABC (20.4%)
SBS (5.0%)

Network main channels:

Seven (18.6%)
Nine (18.5%)
Ten (16.5%)
ABC (15.6%)
SBS ONE (3.3%)

Top 5 digital channels:

ONE (4.5%)
7TWO (3.6%)
ABC 2 (3.4%)
GO (2.9%)
7mate (2.7%)

Top 10 national programs:

Seven News — 1.896 million
Nine News — 1.637 million
Seven News/Today Tonight — 1.607 million
House Rules (Seven) — 1.558 million
Masterchef Australia (Ten) — 1.399 million
Home and Away (Seven) — 1.341million
The Chase Australia 5.30pm (Seven) — 1.304 million
ABC News — 1.249 million
Love Child (Nine) — 1.165 million
A Current Affair (Nine) — 1.100 million

Top metro programs:

Seven News — 1.216 million
Nine News — 1.184 million
Seven News/ Today Tonight — 1.087 million
Nine News 6.30 — 1.072 million
Masterchef Australia (Ten) — 1.064 million

Losers: Nine. The Nauru special on ACA didn’t move the viewer number dial, nor did The Briefcase. Next week will be its big test – how many desperate viewers will return?

Metro news and current affairs:

Seven News — 1.216 million
Nine News — 1.184 million
Seven News/Today Tonight — 1.087 million
Nine News (6.30pm) — 1.072 million
A Current Affair (Nine) – 930,000
ABC News – 855,000
7.30 (ABC) — 794,000
The Project 7pm (Ten) — 724,000
Four Corners (ABC) — 683,000
Media Watch (ABC) — 671,000

Morning TV:

Today (Nine) – 340,000
Sunrise (Seven) – 303,000
The Morning Show (Seven) — 165,000
Today Extra (Nine) — 163,000
News Breakfast (ABC, 103,000 + 40,000 on News 24) — 140,000
Studio 10 (Ten) — 112,000

Top five pay TV channels:

showcase (3.7%)
Fox Sports 1 (2.7%)
TVHITS (2.0%)
Fox Sports 2 (2.0%)
ESPN (1.9%)

Top five pay TV programs:

Game of Thrones (showcase) – 346,000
Game of Thrones (showcase) – 273,000
NRL: Gold Coast v Manly (Fox Sports 1) — 238,000
Monday Night With Matty Johns (Fox Sports 1) – 149,000
NBA: Post Studio (ESPN) – 127,000

*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.