Nine’s night in the metros, even though Seven edged in front in Total People. Nine easily won the main channels. Ten was a solid third (and close to being second in the main channels), while the ABC went back to fourth spot. But in the regions it was Seven winning well in both Total People and the main channels. It was as though we had two very different TV schedules last night. Ten was a solid third in the regionals while the ABC was a weak fourth.

The second night of The Bachelorette on Ten did OK. Slightly higher than the debut the night before with 947,000 national viewers – 703,000 metro and 244,000 in the regions. Gogglebox Australia did a bit better though with 1.002 million national viewers: 705,000 metro, 297,000 regional viewers.

Nine News between 6 and 7pm has become quite weak in metro markets in recent weeks (and continuing to be weak in the regionals). Nine concentrates on the east coast where it is doing well, but Seven has closed the gap, and it also owns to tanking news services in Adelaide, and especially Perth where Seven has big wins every night. The big wins in Adelaide and especially Perth regularly help Seven News and the 6.30pm but, Seven News with Today Tonight over the million viewer mark in the metros, while on many nights, Nine News wallows 50,000 to 100,000 viewers behind. The gap is more noticeable in the national figures with big wins every night by Seven News.

Last night’s metro gap was a very high 200,000 plus viewers for the period  6 to 6.30pm for Seven, 1.084 million to 876,000. The 7pm ABC News has also lost well over 100,000 viewers in metro markets this year, while 7.30 is not having a stellar year (outside the election campaign). Ten News was also very weak last night, its five market metro average falling under 400,000 to 391,000. Only Seven News between 6 and 7pm held up last night.

The five most watched programs in regional markets were: Seven News with 575,000, Home and Away, 493,000, Seven News/Today Tonight, 488,000, The Chase Australia 5.30pm, 433,000 and Make You Laugh Out Loud, 416,000

In breakfast, viewers of Sunrise suddenly awoke and pushed it to 306,000 viewers, while those for Today napped and its metro audience fell noticeably to just 264,000, the lowest for some time. School holidays are starting…?

We are near the pointy end of the Festival Of The Boot – prelim finals in the AFL and the NRL. So its go you mighty Swans tonight against the Cats, and tomorrow its the Doggies against The Giants. Don’t ask me who will win. And in the NRL its North Queensland Cowboys v Cronulla Sharks tonight and Canberra Raiders v Melbourne Storm. And again, don’t ask me either.

But a Swans-GWS Grand Final will tax the Melbourne AFL supporter (apart from the old South Melbourne mob). It’s not that there haven’t been non-Melbourne Grand Finals – in 2005 the Swans beat the Weagles and in 2006 the Weagles beat the Swans. And Port Adelaide and Brisbane in 2004. But never two teams from the one non-Victorian city or market.

Network channel share:

  1. Seven (27.5%)
  2. Nine (27.1%)
  3. Ten (22.0%)
  4. ABC (15.8%)
  5. SBS (7.5%)

Network main channels:

  1. Nine (20.5%)
  2. Seven (16.9%)
  3. Ten (16.1%)
  4. ABC (10.1%)
  5. SBS ONE (4.9%)

Top 5 digital channels: 

  1. 7TWO (5.0%)
  2. ABC 3 (3.9%)
  3. 7mate, ONE (3.1%)
  4. Eleven (2.9%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1. Seven News  — 1.659 million
  2. Seven News/Today Tonight — 1.513 million
  3. Nine News — 1.175 million
  4. Home and Away (Seven) — 1.134 million
  5. RBT (Nine) — 1.103 million
  6. The Chase Australia 5.30pm (Seven) — 1.094 million
  7. A Current Affair (Nine) — 1.076 million
  8. ABC News — 1.033 million
  9. Gogglebox Australia (Ten) — 1.002 million
  10. Make You Laugh Out Loud (Seven) — 991,000

Top metro programs:

  1. Seven News — 1.084 million
  2. Seven News/Today Tonight — 1.025 million

Losers: Seven, despite the win in total people. Nine News not so solid.

Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Seven News — 1.084 million
  2. Seven News/Today Tonight — 1.025 million
  3. Nine News — 876,000
  4. Nine News (6.30pm) — 844,000
  5. A Current Affair (Nine) – 732,000
  6. ABC News — 703,000
  7. The Project 7pm (Ten) — 599,000
  8. 7.30 (ABC) — 551,000
  9. Ten Eyewitness News — 391,000
  10. The Project 6.30pm (Ten) — 367,000

Morning TV:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) – 306,000
  2. Today (Nine) – 264,000
  3. The Morning Show (Seven) — 179,000
  4. News Breakfast (ABC,99,000 + 45,000 on News 24) — 144,000
  5. Today Extra (Nine) — 109,000
  6. Studio 10 (Ten) — 91,000

Top five pay TV channels:

  1. Fox 8  (%)
  2. LifeStyle  (%)
  3. TVHITS  (%)
  4. UKTV, Fox Classics (%)

Top five pay TV programs:

  1. AFL: 360 (Fox Footy) – 79,000
  2. The Simpsons (Fox8) — 75,000
  3. America’s Got Talent (Fox8) — 61,000
  4. NCIS (TVHITS) — 53,000
  5. NCIS Los Angeles (TVHITS) — 51,000

*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.