(Image: AAP/Scott Barbour)

The race that sort of stopped a nation — it did well for Ten with 1.86 million viewers for the Melbourne Cup race, up on Seven’s last effort of 1.76 million a year ago. More viewers in metro markets (1.41 million against 1.32 million) the regions (452,000 v 438,000) and Melbourne (700,000 v 662,000).

Pity about the dead horse, but that’s been a constant now since 2013 — run a cup, kill a horse without any compassion. Ten’s commentary was like Seven’s in the past: mindless and turgid.

At night,SAS Australia on Seven had 934,000 and not going anywhere. The race didn’t do Ten any good in prime time, it was Nine from Seven with a very distant Ten just in front of the ABC.

In regional markets: Seven News, 496,000; Seven News 6.30, 495,000; Melbourne Cup race, 452,000 Home and Away, 347,000; 7pm ABC News, 320,000.

Network channel share:

  1. Nine (29.0%)
  2. Seven (27.6%)
  3. Ten (18.5%)
  4. ABC (17.0%)
  5. SBS (8.0%)

Network main channels:

  1. Nine (20.7%)
  2. Seven (18.5%)
  3. Ten (12.1%)
  4. ABC (11.5%)
  5. SBS ONE (5.4%)

Top 5 digital channels: 

  1. 7TWO (4.1%)
  2. Gem (3.2%)
  3. 10 Bold (3.1%)
  4. 7mate (2.9%)
  5. ABC Kids/Comedy (2.8%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1. Melbourne Cup – Race (Ten) — 1.862 million
  2. Seven News — 1.450 million
  3. Seven News 6.30 — 1.443 million
  4. Melbourne Cup – Presentation (Ten) — 1.277 million
  5. Nine/NBN News 6.30 — 1.159 million
  6. Nine/NBN News  — 1.148 million
  7. The Block (Nine) —1.115 million
  8. Melbourne Cup – Mounting Yard (Ten) — 1.097 million
  9. 7pm ABC News — 1.071 million
  10. ACA (Nine) — 971,000

Top metro programs: Cup, dead horse, why bother — a cruel and inhumane event.

Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Seven News — 954,000
  2. Seven News 6.30 — 948,000
  3. Nine News — 896,000
  4. Nine News 6.30  — 879,000
  5. 7pm ABC News — 751,000
  6. ACA (Nine) — 682,000
  7. 7.30 (ABC) — 577,000
  8. The Project 7pm (Ten) — 553,000
  9. Ten News First — 391,000
  10. The Project 6.30 (Ten) — 351,000

Morning (National) TV:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) — 454,000/262,000
  2. Today (Nine) — 310,000/209,000
  3. News Breakfast (ABC, ABC News) — 293,000/204,000
  4. The Morning Show (Seven) — 236,000
  5. Today Extra (Nine) — 161,000
  6. Studio 10 (Ten) — 71,000

Top five pay TV programs:

  1. Paul Murray (Sky News) — 76,000
  2. Alan Jones (Sky News) — 70,000
  3. The Bolt Report (Sky News) — 66,000
  4. Credlin (Sky News) — 57,000
  5. Sky Racing — Raceday — 55,000