The Winners: Seven News was the most watched program with 1.795 million people, from Nine News well back in second on 1.540 million. The final weigh-in of The Biggest Loser on Ten averaged 1.487 million and the winner of So You Think You Can Dance Australia, also on Ten averaged 1.432 million. The Force on Seven was 5th with 1.418 million at 8pm. 60 Minutes on Nine at 7.30pm was 6th with 1.379 million and the finale night of So You Think You Can Dance Australia (i.e. up to the winner being announced) averaged 1.342 million people in 7th spot. Seven’s Border Security USA averaged 1.257 million people and Sunday Night on Seven at 7.30pm averaged 1.173 million. Bones on Seven at 8.30 pm averaged 1.126 million, CSI on Nine in the same slot averaged 1.073 million in 11th and Rove from 9.30pm averaged 1.071 million. But So You Think You Can Dance Australia ran over time, so Rove‘s figures were skewed by the late finish.

The Losers: Nothing really last night. Ten’s line up was a major destabiliser on the night. Tonight it’s more of the same. Second Chance on Nine at 6.30pm: 934,000. Not good enough for a starting program. the idea is OK, the execution?

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally and in every market but Sydney where the NRL helped Nine to win easily. But the NRL didn’t help in Brisbane and the absence of the AFL meant a big loss. The 7pm ABC News averaged 960,000 (and the update around 8.30pm was marred by these stupid technology glitches as the ABC cuts costs and gets rid of people who know what they are doing). Ten News averaged 631,000. SBS News at 6.30pm 189,000. In the morning, Seven’s Weekend Sunrise, 500,000, Landline on the ABC at Noon, 276,000; Insiders on the ABC at 9am, 220,000 (a big result); Nine’s Today on Sunday, 215,000; Inside Business, 179,000, Offsiders, 140,000. Meet the Press, 77,000.

The Stats: Ten won 6pm to midnight All People with 30.1% (25.5%), from Seven with 26.6% (25.4%), Nine with 25.6% (29.7%), the ABC with 13.4% (14.6%) and SBS with 4.3% (4.8%). Ten won Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Seven won Adelaide (a surprise, as Ten is usually strong there with these programs) and Seven won Perth. In regional areas Ten’s programming didn’t do well. Regional viewers are not big supporters of all the reality TV stuff Ten has been showing over the years and in 2009. They are more conservative viewers in the Australian countryside. The Biggest Loser and So You Think You Can Dance Australia made it into the Top 10 last night, but not with the same numbers as in the five metro markets. WIN/NBN won with 29.0% from Prime/7Qld with 26.6%, Southern cross (Ten) on 24.1%, the ABC on 14.6% and SBS on 5.7%.

Glenn Dyer’s comments:

Last week: Seven won All People 6pm to midnight 28.0% to 26.1% for Nine and 22.8% for Ten. Ten did better in 16 to 39. Nine’s Today show cracked the 300,000 mark for the week for the first time in around five years: 318,000 was the average. Seven’s Sunrise is still ahead on 376,000 but it’s no surprise wonder producer, Adam Boland is back at Sunrise. While he was away doing things with The Morning Show and Sunday Night, Nine’s Today has made big advances.

Hot Seat at 5.30pm on Nine averaged 578,000 for its first week: that is now the benchmark for comparison (along with its 612,000 first up audience). The AFL will really struggle in Sydney. The Anzac Day game between Collingwood and Essendon, just 74,000 people watched in Sydney: the Swans losing to the Dockers on Saturday night, just 72,000 watched in Sydney. But at least the AFL showed these games into Sydney via Ten.

The NRL can’t get the Nine Network to show its games into Melbourne where the Storm are based and play every second week. It’s gutless on the part of News Ltd, Nine and the NRL. In regional areas WIN/NBN won for Nine from prime/7Qld.

Last Night: Sunday Night on Seven at 6.30pm had better quality stories last night, thanks to Mike Munro’s professionalism as a presenter and an old fashioned reporter. It in fact had a 60 Minutes feel about its story balance last night. Sunrise will only succeed with a bit of hard nosed grit, not Sunrise fairy floss. The 1.173 million viewers was a better figure than last week. Needs to do more to lift.

Dirt Game on the ABC at 8.30pm backed up well — 606,000 — it’s not going to be a Sea Change, but its better than the average dramas that the ABC has shown in the past couple of years. At least it’s a drama built around current issues and well acted.

Ten’s One’s broadcast of the Formula 1 last night, 127,000. Not as good as the week before, but Australian Mark Webber didn’t do as well this week. It was the highest digital Free To Air audience of the night. ONE now out rates Pay TV Channels, Fos Sports etc and ESPN in the five metro markets. It doesn’t have to geographic spread yet of Foxtel (It’s not in Tasmania, the bush or the Northern Territory). It also has a better “reach” for TV advertisers than other Foxtel channels. Standby for the Foxtel counterassault.

The Biggest Loser is below last year’s figures for the final couple of episodes, but the climax is tonight. Last year the winner averaged 1.896,000. This year it looks as though it will be 300,000-400,000 under that. So You Think You Can Dance Australia finished last night. It did well, 1.432 million for the winner (who was a fabulous dancer). But that is well under the 1.877 million for the winner episode in the first year last year. The final night last night averaged 1.342 million vs. 1.832 million for 2008.

Tonight: Four Corners has another crack at the Victorian bushfires. The Four Corners PR machine has already swung into gear with titbits from the program. Need we watch tonight? Media Watch follows, but the highlight on ABC tonight (and the night) will be the second part of the Australian Story program on Keith Miller, the late cricket legend and World War two pilot. Shane Warne introduces it tonight. And, don’t forget Spooks.

Ten has the final of The Biggest Loser in a half hour episode at 7.30pm and then a two hour finale at 8.30pm. That is broken by the debut of MasterChef Australia, a UK format and Ten’s Big Brother replacement. So we have the ironic situation of all the weight shedders finishing and the weigh adders debuting on MasterChef, all on the one night.

There’s a TV series in that irony, but I can’t quite grasp it.

Seven has How I Met Your Mother, Scrubs, Housewives and Brothers and Sisters.

Nine has You Saved My Life and Missing Pieces before one episode of Underbelly; then a new series called Eleventh Hour, which is one to avoid.

SBS has Top Gear

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports