The Winners: Seven’s early evening programming wasn’t impacted by the games. Nine was before and after The Block. Ten’s games coverage was flat. Digital was where the action was, especially on Ten’s ONE.

  1. Seven News (6pm) — 1.336 million
  2. Today Tonight (Seven) (6.30pm) — 1.293 million
  3. The Force (Seven) (8pm) 1.283 million
  4. Border Security (Seven) (7.30pm) — 1.269 million
  5. The Block (Nine) (7.30pm) — 1.120 million
  6. Nine News (6pm) — 1.081 million
  7. Spicks and Specks (ABC) (8.30pm) — 1.008 million

The Losers: Ten’s early evening Games coverage, still 100,000-300,000 viewers under what the main channel would normally get and got in the past couple of weeks. The late night is doing better. Foxtel’s games audience is shrinking after the solid opening on Monday. Tonight it should lift (and so should ONE) because there is nothing on the main channels apart from the Games on Ten.

News & CA: The astute reader would have noticed that ratings for ACA were weak. Can’t tell you why because there wasn’t all that much difference with TT last night Perhaps it was the games coverage on Ten? Seven News snuck its first win over Nine News at 6 pm in Sydney for the first time this week, 313,000 to 310,000. Seven News in Melbourne very dominant last night, won by 118,000 viewers, 448,000 (the biggest single audience in the country) to 330,000. TT averaged 295,000 in Sydney, ACA, 281,000. Both not good. Seven News and TT both won in all markets.

  1. Seven News (6pm) — 1.336 million
  2. Today Tonight (Seven) (6.30pm) — 1.293 million
  3. Nine News (6pm) — 1.081 million
  4. A Current Affair (Nine) (6.30pm) — 997,000
  5. ABC News (7pm) — 996,000
  6. Ten News (5pm) — 781,000
  7. The 7.30 Report (ABC) (7.30pm) — 699,000
  8. Lateline (ABC) (10.30pm) — 229,000
  9. SBS News (6.30pm) — 176,000
  10. Lateline Business (ABC) (11.05pm — 112,000
  11. SBS News (9.30pm) — 88,000

In the morning:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) (7am) — 381,000
  2. Today (Nine) (7am) — 278,000

The Stats:

  • FTA: Seven won with a share of 29.9% from Nine with 26.0%, Ten on 23.9%, the ABC with 16.4% and SBS on 3.8%. Seven leads the week with 29.5% from Nine on 27.6%, Ten with 21.5%.
  • Main Channel: Seven won with a share of 24.0%, from Nine on 20.6%, Ten with 17.7%, ABC 1 with 13.0% and SBS ONE on 3.5%. Seven leads the week on 24.1% from Nine with 21.9% and Ten on 17.5%.
  • Digital: A national FTA average for the nine digital channels of 22.2% That’s more than one in five viewers watching FTA were watching the newer digital channels. ONE won with a share of 6.2% from GO on 3.8%, 7Mate with 3.3%, 7TWO with 2.7%, ABC 2 with 2.1%, Gem on 1.5%, ABC 3 and News 24 with 0.6% each and SBS TWO with 0.3%. Adelaide was the best market with 27.3%, from Perth with a total share of 26.7%, Brisbane with 21.4%, Melbourne on 19.3% and Sydney dragging the chain with 16.8%.
  • Pay TV: Seven won with a share of 24.2%, from Nine on 21.0%, Ten with 19.3%, Pay TV and its 100 plus channels, 16.8%, the ABC with 13.2% and SBS on 3.1%. The 14 FTA channels had a share of 83.2%, made up of 17.1% for the nine digital channels and 66.8% for the five main channels. Pay TV’s share has slipped from 18.0% on Monday, the first day of the games, to last night’s reading of 16.8%.
  • Regional: Prime/7Qld won with a share of 30.3%, from WIN/NBN with 28.1%, SC Ten on 23.7%, the ABC on 14.0% and SBS with 4.0%. prime/7Qld won the main channels from WIN/NBN and SC Ten. ONE won the digitals with a share of 5.6%, with GO on 4.5%, 7Mate on 2.8%, 7TWO on 2.7% and ABC 2 with 1.6%. The nine FTA digitals had a FTA share of 20.1%. WIN/NBN leads the week with 30.9% from Prime/7Qld on 28.6%.

Major Markets: Digital again starred, especially Ten’s ONE with its highest shares of the week (and ever). But Nine’s GO and 7Mate also very solid and ABC 2 was OK.

  • Sydney: It was Seven from Ten and Nine overall, but Seven from Nine and Ten in the main channels. ONE won the digitals, from GO and 7Mate. Foxtel finished with a total share of 20.8%, which was the highest total share in the market. Nine leads the week from Seven and Ten.
  • Melbourne: It was Seven from Nine and Ten overall and in the main channels. ONE won the digitals from GO and 7Mate, Foxtel finished with a total share of 14.5%, which put it behind Seven, Nine and Ten. Seven leads the week from Nine and Ten.
  • Brisbane: Seven from Ten and Nine overall and in the main channels. ONE won the digitals with GO and 7Mate tied for second. Foxtel had a share of 17.8%, which saw it finish fourth. Seven now leads the week from Nine and Ten.
  • Adelaide: It was Seven from Nine and Ten overall and in the main channels. ONE won the digitals from GO and 7Mate, Foxtel had a share of 11.1% (The nine FTA digitals, 27.3%). That put Pay TV fifth. Seven leads the week from Nine and Ten.
  • Perth: Seven from Ten and Nine overall, but Seven from Nine and Ten in the main channels. ONE won the digitals from 7TWO and GO. Pay TV finished with a share of 17.2%, which put it fourth. Seven leads the week from Nine and Ten.

(All shares on the basis of combined overnight 6pm to midnight All People)

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Ten is very sensitive about its games audiences, pointing out that it’s doing better while the commercial rivals aren’t doing so well this week. Ten says you have to consider the main channel plus ONE audience. Well, on that basis, the 554,000 who watched from 6pm to 9pm on the main channel became a total of 739,000 when the 185,000 who were watching on ONE are added in. Not bad, but still down on the million plus figures a week ago and before that from 7pm onwards.

Ten is doing better from 6pm to 7pm simply because The Simpsons and Neighbours were doing so poorly, averaging just between 500,000 and 600,000 viewers in the hour. The figures for the 9pm to 11pm session are better, 798,000 watching on the main channel and 296,000 on ONE, which gives a total of 1.094 million. That’s better than Ten would get most nights from 9pm onwards, unless MasterChef is on as a lead in or a fresh NCIS is being broadcast.

And a word about the Ten hosting set. It’s boring, dull, flat and tells us nothing about where they could be. It looks like a cost saving.

TONIGHT: More Games coverage on what is a very weak night for TV. Getaway on Nine at 7.30pm. The 7.30 Report on the ABC. I can’t suggest The Amazing Race on Seven, now at 7.30pm, because it drives me mad. Go to bed, read or book or catch up with friends ahead of the weekend.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports