Oh dear last night: My Kitchen Rules on Seven — more annoying contestants, chosen by a casting agent. Nothing new on previous years. Suffered a 15% ratings slump as a result. Nine’s Married at First Sight — why oh why go through the facade. It had 1.198 million viewers — okay but not the brass ring. I’m A Celebrity on Ten — D listers get a new chance at fame, but not fortune, but the audience lifted by a mere 23,000 to a national 1.333 million from 1.310 million a year ago. And Bride and Prejudice on Seven after MKR — a sad, sad story. But viewers responded — 1.211 million nationally for the debut episode and boosted Seven to a convincing win last night. 

A thumbs down from viewers to the new series of My Kitchen Rules. The program’s national audience fell 15% (336,000) to 1.822 million (from 2.158 million). The metro audience fell almost 17% (or 267,000) to 1.309 million from 1.576 million, while the regional audience fell 8% or 69,000 to 513,000. In other words, okay figures, but it is no longer the ratings blockbuster it was last year and and the monster it was two or three years ago. But it, plus the News and Bride and Prejudice, gave Seven a very solid win in metro and regional markets. 

Ten did well with its prime time audience up. Nine was squeezed as it made a less than convincing start to the year. But it is very early days. The impact on pay TV viewing was interesting. Just over 47% of people in pay TV homes watched Pay TV yesterday. On Sunday night it was 45.6% thanks to the tennis. Last night MKR, Bride and Prejudice, Married A First Sight and I’m A Celebrity (I’m A Celebrity at least lifted its audience figures on last year: In the metros the audience rose to 959,000 from 927,000 . That is an increase but that is all that can be said for it.) combined to drag viewers away from Pay TV and back to free to air channels.

Nine’s Hot Seat went to a revamped hour with Eddie McGuire from 5pm — it averaged 691,000 nationally from the important 5.30pm (496,000 in the metros and 172,000 in the regions). It was no use, Seven’s The Chase Australia at 5.30pm averaged 1.011 million nationally and 631,000 in the metros and 381,000 in the regions. Wiped the floor in fact. Bad luck Eddie.

Network channel share:

  1. Seven (33.5%)
  2. Nine (24.6%)
  3. Ten (21.1%)
  4. ABC (14.5%)
  5. SBS (6.3%)

Network main channels:

  1. Seven (25.7%)
  2. Nine (18.1%)
  3. Ten (14.9%)
  4. ABC (13.1%)
  5. SBS ONE (4.5%)

Top 5 digital channels: 

  1. ONE (3.9%)
  2. 7TWO (3.5%)
  3. GO (3.0%)
  4. Eleven (2.4%)
  5. ABC 2 (2.3%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1. MKR (Seven) — 1.822 million
  2. Seven News  — 1.689 million
  3. Seven News/Today Tonight — 1.572 million
  4. Home and Away (Seven) — 1.358 million
  5. Nine News — 1.347 million
  6. I’m A Celebrity (Ten) — 1.333 million
  7. Bride and Prejudice (Seven) — 1.211 million
  8. Married At First Sight (Nine) — 1.198 million
  9. 7pm ABC News — 1.170 million
  10. A Current Affair (Nine) — 1.126 million

Top metro programs:

  1. MKR (Seven) — 1.309 million
  2. Seven News — 1.140 million
  3. Seven News/Today Tonight — 1.116 million
  4. Nine News 6.30 — 1.049 million
  5. Nine News — 1.006 million

Losers: No one — too much choice.

Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Seven News — 1.140 million
  2. Seven News/Today Tonight — 1.116 million
  3. Nine News (6.30pm) — 1.049 million
  4. Nine News — 1.006 million
  5. 7pm ABC News – 855,000
  6. A Current Affair (Nine) – 799,000
  7. The Project 7pm (Ten) — 771,000
  8. 7.30 (ABC) — 695,000
  9. Ten Eyewitness News — 555,000
  10. The Project 6.30pm (Ten) — 482,000

Morning (national) TV:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) – 570,000
  2. Today (Nine) —368,000
  3. The Morning Show (Seven) — 260,000
  4. News Breakfast (ABC 1,  156,000 + 102,000 on News 24) — 258,000
  5. Studio 10 (Ten) — 159,000
  6. Today Extra (Nine) — 150,000

Top five pay TV channels:

  1. Fox Sports 2 (4.2%)
  2. TVHITS  (2.4%)
  3. Fox 8  (1.7%)
  4. Disney Jr (1.6%)
  5. LifeStyle  (1.5%)

Top five pay TV programs:

  1. ODI: Game 1 Session 2 (Fox Sports 2) — 135,000
  2. Cricket Legends (Fox Sports 2) — 89,000
  3. Coast Australia (History) — 69,000
  4. ODI: Game 1 Session 1 (Fox Sports 2) — 62,000
  5. The Simpsons (Fox8) – 51,000

*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.) and network reports.