The Winners: Seven News was tops for the night with 1.8 million viewers, from MasterChef Australia with 1.781 million and Today Tonight was third with 1.615 million. Nine News was 4th with 1.395 million (thanks to a strong performance in Melbourne, not Sydney). Ten’s Recruits averaged 1.349 million at 8pm, Nine’s Sea Patrol won the 8.30pm slot with 1.309 million, just in front of Seven’s Desperate Housewives with 1.308 million. A Current Affair was 8th with 1.269 million people and Australian Story finished with a high 1.225 million at 8pm for the ABC. 10th was Home and Away with 1.168 million; Good News Week averaged 1.168 million for Ten at 8.30pm and the 7pm repeat of Two and a Half Men on Nine averaged 1.117 million in 12th. Ten News averaged 1.094 million for 13th and the 7.30pm fresh episode of Two and a Half Men averaged 1.068 million. The 7pm ABC News averaged 1.057 million for 15th; Brothers and Sisters averaged 1.024 million at 9.30pm for Seven and Scrubs averaged 1.006 million for Seven at 8pm. Missing Persons Unit averaged 915,000 at 9.30pm for Nine. Spooks on the ABC averaged 785,000 at 9.30pm. Hot Seat on Nine at 5.30pm was up to 724,000, Deal Or No Deal, 969,000. Ten News won the 5pm to 6pm slot easily.

The Losers: How I Met Your Mother on Seven at 7.30pm, 805,000. Supernatural on Ten at 9.30pm, 618,000 and why it failed to win All People for a second Monday in a row. Top Gear, 510,000 at 7.30pm for SBS. A winner for SBS in terms of the audience figure, a loser and a disappointment for viewers. Don’t worry. the new series of the original has just started in the UK with a great first episode.

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally but lost Melbourne. In Sydney Seven news won with 499,000 to 337,000 for Nine News. A Current Affair in Sydney averaged 309,000, The 7.30 Report, 309,000. TT won everywhere but Melbourne where ACA won. The 7.30 Report averaged 960,000. Four Corners, 710,000, Media Watch, 752,000. Lateline, 445,000, Lateline Business, 194,000. Ten’s late News/Sports Tonight averaged 294,000. SBS News at 6.30pm, 201,000, 237,000 for the 9.30pm edition. 7am Sunrise, 418,000, 7am Today, 313,000.

The Stats: Seven won 6pm to midnight All People with 26.0% (25.0% a week ago), from Ten with 25.7% (26.9%), Nine with 24.3% (25.9%), the ABC 17.9% (16.5%) and SBS with 6.0%. Ten won the main demos, 16 to 39, 18 to 49 and 25 to 54 because of MasterChef. Seven won Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. Ten won Melbourne and Adelaide. Ten leads the week 26.6% to 25.5% for Seven and Nine with 24.6%. In regional areas a big win for Nine with WIN/NBN on 29.8%, Prime/7Qld back on 22.0%, Southern Cross (Ten) and 21.1%, the ABC, 19.9% and SBS on 7.7%.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Seven got up, Ten did well in the demos, but it was a one show network last night thanks to MasterChef‘s appeal. Ten will win tonight with MasterChef, Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation and NCIS, Seven will be second and Nine will be squeezed hard into third.

If Nine has a tough night tonight, tomorrow night’s win from the State of Origin game, and then Thursday night’s win thanks to the strength of the AFL Footy Show, might not be enough to get it home. In any case, there are only two more Origin games and lots of weeks to come where it will struggle, as it did last week.

Seven has a strong second half to come, Ten and Nine have more material: Nine will struggle if this new material doesn’t work, as it probably won’t, going on its performance so far this year (leaving Underbelly aside).

Red Kerry showed on The 7.30 Report last night that current affairs can be a blood sport, and Lateline showed it could add to the day’s events in a meaningful way and leave us ready for bed and knowing that we had the story up to date. Lateline‘s 445,000 at 10.30pm indicated a high level of interest in the day’s events from Canberra. Nine in Sydney sent Peter Overton to Canberra to anchor the News from there while Ian Ross stayed in Sydney: Seven won by 162,000 viewers in Sydney, but Seven sent David Koch to Canberra for Sunrise this morning.

TONIGHT: Ten with its trio of winners: MasterChef as the highlight. Nine: nothing: HomeMade is a recipe for a rotten night. Seven: Find My Family, The Zoo stand out. Grand Designs at 8.30pm on the ABC for home desperates, after the latest on The 7.30 Report.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports