(Image: Bluey)

It was Seven’s night last night, thanks to the lead-in from the 6pm News, with Nine, then the ABC and Ten. But the day belonged to Bluey.

In probably its biggest triumph its 8am episode yesterday averaged 598,000 viewers, and the 6.20pm repeat averaged 310,000 (a total of 908,000 for the day).

The morning audience was the 13th-largest nationally including the 7 to 7.30pm part of The Project (578,000). The 598,000, even for just eight minutes or so, was a larger audience than for Today, Sunrise and the ABC’s News Breakfast.

The success of Bluey once again confirms the bankrupt thinking at Nine, Seven, Ten and Foxtel about the value of children’s TV. They want it shuffled off to the ABC so they can sell more ad time to a shrinking audience base.

Stupid executives out of touch with viewers.

And last night the ABC ran a doco called Capturing Cricket: Steve Waugh in India, which out-rated anything on commercial TV at 8.30pm to 9.30pm. It averaged 537,000 and was top notch and an excellent introduction to the tour from India who start playing next week. The dull, smug Seven Network is showing that cricket and didn’t have to gumption to try and explain the hold cricket has on India. The Steve Waugh doco did in spades.

At night, SAS Australia on Seven, 966,000 — sluggish.

In regional markets: Seven News, 528,000; Seven News 6.30, 527,000; Home and Away, 395,000; The Chase Australia 5.30pm, 324,000; SAS Australia, 298,000.

Network channel share:

  1. Seven (30.8%)
  2. Nine (26.0%)
  3. ABC (18.1%)
  4. Ten (15.4%)
  5. SBS (9.7%)

Network main channels:

  1. Seven (22.4%)
  2. Nine (18.1%)
  3. ABC (12.2%)
  4. Ten (8.2%)
  5. SBS ONE (5.7%)

Top 5 digital channels:

  1. 10 Bold (3.6%)
  2. 7TWO (3.5%)
  3. ABC Kids/Comedy, 10 Peach (3.2%)
  4. 9Life (2.6%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1. Seven News — 1.50 million
  2. Seven News 6.30 — 1.48million
  3. Nine/NBN News 6.30 — 1.20 million
  4. Nine/NBN News — 1.17 million
  5. 7pm ABC News — 1.01 million
  6. A Current Affair (Nine) — 982,000
  7. Home and Away (Seven) — 975,000
  8. SAS Australia (Seven) — 966,000
  9. 7.30 (ABC) — 860,000
  10. The Chase Australia 5.30pm (Seven) — 839,000

Losers: Just a weak night — go Bluey and Steve Waugh.

Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Seven News — 969,000
  2. Seven News 6.30 — 949,000
  3. Nine News — 914,000
  4. Nine News 6.30 — 908,000
  5. A Current Affair (Nine) — 719,000
  6. 7pm ABC News – 718,000
  7. 7.30 (ABC) — 609,000
  8. The Project 7pm (Ten) — 438,000
  9. Ten News First — 325,000
  10. The Project 6.30 (Ten) — 293,000

Morning (National) TV:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) — 478,000/263,000
  2. Today (Nine) – 305,000/213,000
  3. News Breakfast (ABC, ABC News) — 304,000/203,000
  4. The Morning Show (Seven) — 218,000
  5. Today Extra (Nine) – 144,000
  6. Studio 10 (Ten) — 52,000

Top five pay TV programs:

  1. Paul Murray (Sky News) — 85,000
  2. Alan Jones (Sky News) — 81,000
  3. The Bolt Report (Sky News) — 66,000
  4. Credlin (Sky News) — 60,000
  5. PML Later (Sky News) — 52,000