The Winners: Seven News was tops with 1.548 million, followed by World’s Strictest Parents (the UK version) with 1.453 million. Spicks and Specks continued its recent post Chaser resurgence with 1.449 million people watching. 4th was Today Tonight with 1.406 million and 5th was the 7pm repeat of Two and a Half Men with 1.309 million, in front of the new episode at 7.30pm with 1.253 million. (Nine cut Australia’s Perfect Couples in half). Home and Away at 7pm averaged 1.238 million for 7th and 8th was Nine News with 1.189 million.

A Current Affair averaged 1.142 million. RPA was cut to half an hour at 8.30pm and benefitted — it averaged 1.106 million. Next, in 11th, was the 7pm ABC News with 1.062 million. 12th was Seven’s 8.30pm repeat of Criminal Minds with 1.031 million. The Librarians at 9pm on the ABC averaged 1.028 million and the fresh episode of The Simpsons at 7.30pm averaged 1.023 million and was Ten’s only program with a million or more viewers last night. Nine returned The Gift at 9pm and 986,000 watched. The United States of Tara at 9.30pm on the ABC averaged 990,000 and won the timeslot.

The Losers: Australia’s Perfect Couple: 701,000. It didn’t work, and won’t work — it’s a turkey.

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally and in every market as did Today Tonight. Ten News averaged 913,000 viewers, the late News/Sports Tonight, 317,000. The 7.30 Report, 804,000. Lateline, 244,000, Lateline Business, 112,000. SBS News at 6.30pm, 189,000, the 9.30pm edition, 189,000. Nine’s late News, 203,000. 7am Sunrise, 385,000, 7am Today, 324,000.

The Stats: Seven won 6pm to Midnight All People with a share of 27.6% (28.6% last week) from Nine with 25.0% (23.6%), Ten with 20.9% (19.4%); the ABC on 20.6% (21.8%) and SBS with 5.9% (6.6%). Seven won Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Nine won Melbourne. Seven won all the major demos, it says. Ten says it won 16 to 39 (as does Seven) Seven though does lead the week 28.5% to 25.0% for Nine.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: The Ten Network used to be laughed at by its competitors in the past for going to The Simpsons or Everybody Loves Raymond to fill holes that developed in its schedule. It doesn’t do it as often, not because viewers have seen every episode of both programs (they have) but because it has other programming options. Ten used to be known as “The Simpsons Network”. Now, there is a case for renaming the Nine Network, “The Charlie Sheen Network”. He is reportedly being paid over $US800,000 an episode for this program. Charlie Sheen will make more money this year than the entire Nine Network will.

ACA dropped sharply last night from the night before when the ‘nearly’ interview (with a cousin and aunt of the 14 year old girl involved in the sex lie detector stunt on 2DayFM). TT won easily. Nine’s problem with ACA is consistency and a cheque book can’t change that.

The ABC again won the 8.30pm to 9.30pm slot, thanks mostly to the strong showing by Spicks and Specks. The Librarians remains delightfully horrible: it’s like watching someone scratch chalk the wrong way on a blackboard. That voice. It’s our equivalent of The Office and tops anything else tried in this genre in this country.

TONIGHT: If you are game, The NRL and AFL Footy Shows (how will the NRL one handle the Greg Inglis assault claims?). Getaway on Nine at 7.30pm, perhaps. Q&A if you can stomach Piers Akerman and Christopher Pyne. Inspector Rex on SBS at 7.30pm. Hero! Seven swaps TV Burp to 8.30pm and Double Take to 9pm. It won’t help. Both are too similar. Rush on Ten at 8.30pm.

By the way, a year ago we had the Beijing Olympics, how time flies.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports