Did audiences leave The Bachelorette standing at the altar?

I know comparisons can be invidious but let’s make one anyway, between the ratings for last night’s final episode of The Bachelorette and last season’s. The comparison is not kind — a million fewer viewers, in fact, signalling a massive rejection by the core audience. Sophie Monk’s decision in 2017 grabbed a record 2.20 million nationally viewers, with all the lead up to it averaging a very sold 1.75 million — the most watched program that night. Ali’s decision last night averaged 1.21 million, which is OK for this series, but was number three for the night.

Ten will be happy though — it grabbed the demos and finished second in the main channels behind Nine, but missed another knockout ratings performance.

In regional markets Seven’s 6pm News was on top with 467,000, then Seven News/Today Tonight with 461,000, followed by Home and Away with 348,000, then Paramedics with 324,000 and the 5.30 pm part of The Chase Australia with 302,000.

Network channel share:

1. Nine (27.8%)
2. Seven (26,8%)
3. Ten (21.1%)
4. ABC (17.4%)
5. SBS (6.8%)

Network main channels:

1. Nine (18.1%)
2. Ten (16.9%)
3. Seven (15.1%)
4. ABC (11.9%)
5. SBS ONE (4.4%)

Top 5 digital channels: 

1. 7mate (6.2%)
2. Gem, ONE (3.7%)
3. ABC Kids/Comedy (3.0%)
4. 7TWO (2.9%)

Top 10 national programs:

1. Seven News — 1.317 million
2. Seven News/Today Tonight — 1.285 million
3. The Bachelorette – The Final Decision (Ten) — 1.217 million
4. Nine/NBN News 6.30 — 1.016 million
5. Nine/NBN News — 1.009 million
6. The Bachelorette – Finale (Ten) — 996,000
7. 7pm ABC News — 941,000
8. A Current Affair (Nine) — 910,000
9. Paramedics (Nine) — 908,000
10. Home and Away (Seven) — 832,000

Top metro programs: None with a million or more viewers

Losers: The Bachelorette — hard to feel anything for last night or the season.

Metro news and current affairs:

1. Seven News — 850,000
2. Seven News/Today Tonight — 824,000
3. Nine News   — 757,000
4. Nine News 6.30— 741,000
5. A Current Affair (Nine) – 648,000
6. 7pm ABC News – 642,000
7. 7.30 (ABC) — 525,000
8. The Project 7pm (Ten) — 444,000
9. 10 News First– 339,000
10. The Project 6.30pm (Ten) — 255,000

Morning (National) TV:

1. Sunrise (Seven) – 461,000
2. Today (Nine) – 310,000
3. News Breakfast (ABC, ABC News) — 258,000
4. The Morning Show (Seven) — 159,000
5. Mornings (Nine) — 134,000
6. Studio 10 (Ten) — 74,000

Top five pay TV programs:

1. Philip Spencer’s Stately Homes (LifeStyle) — 56,000
2. Love It or List It Australia (LifeStyle), The bolt Report (Sky News)  — 53,000
3. Paul Murray Live (Sky News) — 48,000
4. Gold Rush (Discovery) — 46,000