Back after a surprise check-up — what a Sunday! TV is great when you are on your back.

It ended up a bog standard night. Seven was strong thanks to My Kitchen Rules, and it won the night in the metros and the regionals. Nine was in the hunt with The Block All Stars firming (and single-handedly reviving the Australian renos market), the ABC powered on with another strong night for its current affairs giants Australian Story (Ricky Ponting, good) and Four Corners (Eddie Obeid, OK, but there’s more to be dug up, such as a look at Richo’s role in Obeid’s rise. It was a story none of the commercial channels would touch with a bargepole. I wonder why).

Media Watch also had a strong night, with viewers hanging around from Four Corners to try to work out what the NBN debate inside the ABC and with Malcolm Turnbull is all about (I don’t know, and Mal Turnbull is upset — the ABC report must have some virtues).

And Ten, what about dear old heartbreaker Ten? Last night again showed that nothing will change while MasterChef: The Professionals and Can of Worms are lead weight in the Monday night schedule. That should start changing next Sunday when the 2013 season of The Biggest Loser appears and then continues at 7.30pm on Monday. The question is whether Loser will suffer the same fate as MasterChef: The Professionals, with viewers no longer as wedded to Ten’s programming. Seven’s Revenge eased to under 1.2 million in metro markets and under 1.8 million nationally. It’s definitely softening despite having MKR as the lead-in.

Seven News won only because of a big win in Perth by 134,000, which offset Nine News’ wins in Sydney and Melbourne. Today Tonight really trashed A Current Affair in Perth, winning by 142,000, with A Current Affair having just 58,000 viewers at 6.30pm. That’s Idol-like.

Metro channel share:

  1. Seven (33.5%)
  2. Nine (29.5%)
  3. ABC (19.9%)
  4. Ten (13.5%)
  5. SBS (3.9)

Main channels:

  1. Seven (27.0%)
  2. Nine (22.8%)
  3. ABC1 (15.8%)
  4. Ten (9.1%)
  5. SBS ONE (3.9%)

Digitals:

  1. GO (3.9%)
  2. 7TWO (3.7%)
  3. 7mate (2.8%)
  4. GEM, Eleven (2.7%)
  5. ABC2 (2.4%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1. My Kitchen Rules (Seven) – 2.967 million
  2. The Block All Stars (Nine ) – 2.103 million
  3. Seven News (6pm) — 1.963 million.
  4. Nine News (6pm) — 1.806 million.
  5. Revenge (Seven) — 1.733 million.
  6. The Big Bang Theory (Nine) — 1.584 million.
  7. ABC News (7pm) — 1.440 million.
  8. Today Tonight (Seven) — 1.424 million.
  9. Home and Away (Seven) — 1.392 million.
  10. Four Corners (ABC1) — 1.385 million.

Top metro programs:

  1. My Kitchen Rules (Seven) — 1.869 million.
  2. The Block All Stars (Nine) — 1.471 million.
  3. Seven News (6pm) — 1.328 million.
  4. Nine News (6pm) — 1.253 million.
  5. Revenge (Seven) — 1.163 million.
  6. The Big Bang Theory (Nine) — 1.160 million.
  7. Today Tonight (Seven) — 1.158 million.
  8. A Current Affair (Nine) — 1.074 million.

Metro markets: Seven won overall and the main channels in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Nine won overall in Brisbane; Seven won the main channels. Meanwhile 7TWO won the digitals in Melbourne and Perth, GO won  Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide. Regionals: Prime/7Qld won from WIN/NBN, the ABC was third and SC Ten was fourth. Seven leads the week in the metros, Prime/7Qld leads the week in the regionals.

The losers: Would it be a surprise to say Ten, again? MasterChef: The Professionals at 7.30pm, 469,000 metro and 610,000 nationally, Can of Worms at 8.30pm, 428,000 (and 581,000 nationally). Hawaii Five-O (274,000 metro and 362,000 nationally). The pain goes on.

Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Seven News (6pm) – 1.328 million
  2. Nine News (6pm)  – 1.253 million
  3. Today Tonight (Seven) — 1.158 million
  4. A Current Affair (Nine) – 1.074 million
  5. ABC News (7pm)  – 970,000
  6. Media Watch (ABC1) — 902,000
  7. Four Corners (ABC1) — 887,000
  8. Australian Story (ABC1) — 816,000
  9. 7.30 (ABC1) — 712,000
  10. Ten News (5pm) — 712,000

Morning TV:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) – 323,000
  2. Today (Nine) – 316,000
  3. News Breakfast (ABC1) — 44,000 + 22,000 on News 24

Top five pay TV channels:

  1. Fox Sports 1 – 3.3%
  2. Fox 8  – 2.6%
  3. LifeStyle, TV1  – 2.1%
  4. UKTV – 1.8%.
  5. Sky News – 1.6%

Top five pay TV programs:

  1. Monday Night NRL: Newcastle v Wests (Fox Sports 1) – 284,000
  2. NRL: Monday Night With Matty Johnns (Fox Sports 1) – 131,000
  3. NRL: Monday Night Central (Fox Sports 1) – 74,000
  4. Family Guy (Fox 8) – 72,000
  5. Coronation Street (UKTV) – 65,000

Tonight: More My Kitchen Rules on Seven and then Packed To The Rafters. Nine has more of The Block All Stars. ABC1 has Foreign Correspondent; SBS has Insight and Dateline. Ten has MasterChef: The Professionals and then a fresh NCIS, but I fear that won’t really be enough for viewers.

*Data © OzTAM Pty Limited 2013. The data may not be reproduced, published or communicated (electronically or in hard copy) in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of OzTAM. (All shares on the basis of combined overnight 6pm to midnight all people, plus network reports.)