The Dream Factory — the ABC’s veteran studios — was the subject of a very nice documentary last night put together by the cast and some of the crew and associates of Insiders – Barrie Cassidy great as the ad plugging debate host, and his noddies during Shaun Micalleff’s great final speech were also very convincing. EP, Erin Vincent, and Huw Parkinson (who has a nice line in voiceover, as well as his wonderfully twisted video takes on politics). It deserved a lot more than the 381,000 national viewers.

The digital channels had a combined metro share of 33.7% which again meant collectively more viewers were watching their offerings than any of the network’s combined audiences. 

In regionals markets another Seven benefit with the News averaging 523,000, then Seven News/Today Tonight on 447,000, Home and Away was on 417,000, then Elton John’s Song on 317,000, with the 7pm ABC News fifth with 311,000. And tomorrow, apart from the Great Big Scary Rain stories out of Victoria,  the second Ashes test is due to start in Adelaide. Will it be with a pink cricket or waterpolo ball?

Network channel share:

  1. Seven (30.4%)
  2. Nine (25.5%)
  3. Ten, ABC (17.9%)
  4. SBS (8.3%)

Network main channels:

  1. Seven (20.%)
  2. Nine (16.4%)
  3. Ten (12.2%)
  4. ABC (10.5%)
  5. SBS ONE (6.2%)

Top 5 digital channels: 

  1. ABC 2 (4.5%)
  2. 7TWO, GO (3.8%)
  3. Gem, 7mate (3.4%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1. Seven News  — 1.444 million
  2. Seven News/Today Tonight — 1.324 million
  3. Nine/NBN News 6.30 — 1.074 million
  4. Nine/NBN News — 1.073 million
  5. Home and Away (Seven) — 1.049 million
  6. 7pm ABC News — 1.004 million
  7. A Current Affair (Nine) — 991,000
  8. RBT repeat (Nine) — 833,000
  9. The Chase Australia 5.30pm (Seven) — 821,000
  10. 7.30 (ABC) — 760,000

Top metro programs: No metro programs with a million or more viewers

Losers: Just a weak last Thursday night in ratings line up – except for The Dream Factory on ABC TV

Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Seven News — 920,000
  2. Seven News/Today Tonight — 876,000
  3. Nine News (6.30pm) — 802,000
  4. Nine News — 800,000
  5. A Current Affair (Nine) – 695,000
  6. 7pm ABC News – 693,000
  7. 7.30 (ABC) — 512,000
  8. Ten Eyewitness News — 423,000
  9. The Project 7pm (Ten) — 391,000
  10. The Project 6.30pm (Ten) — 277,000

Morning (National) TV:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) – 548,000
  2. Today (Nine) — 397,000
  3. News Breakfast (ABC, 173,000 + 98,000 on News 24) — 271,000
  4. The Morning Show (Seven) — 221,000
  5. Today Extra (Nine) — 181,000
  6. Studio 10 (Ten) — 110,000

Top five pay TV programs:

  1. Paul Murray Live (Sky News) — 72,000
  2. The Bolt Report (Sky News) — 58,000
  3. Family Guy (Fox8) — 53,000
  4. PML Overtime (Sky) — 51,000
  5. Grand Designs (LifeStyle) — 48,000