News and current affairs win the night, can they carry the summer?

The news mattered last night to viewers, and then everybody went elsewhere.

Michael Portillo’s Great American Railroad Journeys on SBS (429,000 nationally) was interesting, at least. Seven had another episode of The Good Doctor (920,000) — what hasn’t he treated yet? Similarly, Ten’s misnamed Ambulance Australia (987,000 and the second most watched non-news program last night after Home and Away on 988,000) has ferried every kind of victim in NSW.

In regional markets, Seven’s 6pm News led with 502,000, then Seven News/Today Tonight with 497,000, Home and Away with 362,000, Ambulance Australia with 338,000, and The Good Doctor with 335,000.

Network channel share:

1. Seven (27.5%)
2. Nine (27.1%)
3. Ten (18.9%)
4. ABC (17.3%)
5. SBS (6.0%)

Network main channels:

1. Seven (18.6%)
2. Nine (17.1%)
3. Ten (13.1%)
4. ABC (11.9%)
5. SBS ONE (6.0%)

Top 5 digital channels: 

1. GO (4.1%)
2. 7mate (4.0%)
3. Gem (3.7%)
4. 10 BOSS (3.6%)
5. 7TWO (3.4%)

Top 10 national programs:

1. Seven News — 1.416 million
2. Seven News/Today Tonight — 1.389 million
3. Nine/NBN News 6.30 — 1.204 million
4. Nine/NBN News — 1.170million
5. 7pm ABC News — 1.046 million
6. A Current Affair (Nine) — 1.026 million
7. Home and Away (Seven) — 988,000
8. Ambulance Australia (Seven) — 1.108 million
9. The Good Doctor (Seven) — 920,000
10. 7.30 (ABC) — 890,000

Top metro programs: None

Losers: All of us — it was a typical summer night of TV viewing.

Metro news and current affairs:

1. Seven News — 914,000
2. Seven News/Today Tonight — 892,000
3. Nine News 6.30 —906,000
4. Nine News— 883,000
5. A Current Affair (Nine) — 721,000
6. 7pm ABC News – 711,000
7. 7.30 (ABC) — 615,000
8. The Project 7pm (Ten) — 423,000
9. 10 News First — 366,000
10. The Project 6.30pm (Ten) — 274,000

Morning (National) TV:

1. Sunrise (Seven) – 439,000
2. Today (Nine) – 322,000
3. News Breakfast (ABC, ABC News) — 266,000
4. The Morning Show (Seven) — 198,000
5. Mornings (Nine) — 130,000
6. Studio 10 (Ten) — 71,000

Top five pay TV programs:

1. Paul Murray Live (Sky News) — 59,000
2. Jones & Co (Sky News) — 52,000
3. The Bolt Report (Sky News) — 50,000
4. Paw Patrol (Nick Jr), Criminal Minds (TVHITS), Seinfield (111) — 43,000