(Image: AAP/Brendon Thorne)

A small rise in the audience for Origin game two last night on Nine — 2.434 million, 56,000 more than Game one’s 2.378 million, which was the lowest national figures since they started being recorded in 2003. Last night’s metro figure rose to 1.65 million from 1.59 million the previous Wednesday. The regional audience of 780,000 was unchanged from the previous week which was well down on previous years — the regional audience last year was 1.02 million.

It will be a series for core viewers. Brisbane’s audience rose to 561,000 last night from 513,000 the week before — both well down on the 700,000-plus of a year ago. Sydney’s audience was 739,000, down from 780,000 a week ago. Not an encouraging result.

Origin meant it was Nine’s night, but the ABC finished second in the main channels with more substantive content that Seven or Ten who ran dead because origin was always going to win the night.

In breakfast, Ten’s Studio Ten is dying — just 39,000 national viewers yesterday, with 7,000 in the regions. Sunrise had 457,000 and 270,000; ABC News Breakfast had 321,000 and 221,000; and Today 318,000 and 215,000.

In regional markets: State of Origin: Game 1, 780,000; Seven News 6.30, 504,000; Seven News 6.30, 494,000; Origin Game 1 – Pre-match, 336,000; Home and Away, 331,000.

Network channel share:

  1. Nine (40.3%)
  2. Seven (21.0%)
  3. ABC (18.4%)
  4. Ten (13.2%)
  5. SBS (6.5%)

Network main channels:

  1. Nine (33.6%)
  2. ABC (14.0%)
  3. Seven (12.9%)
  4. Ten (7.1%)
  5. SBS ONE (4.2%)

Top 5 digital channels: 

  1. 7TWO (4.2%)
  2. 10 Bold (3.1%)
  3. 10 Peach (2.6%)
  4. GO (2.4%)
  5. ABC Kids/Comedy (2.3%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1. Origin Game 2 (Nine) — 2.434 million
  2. Seven News — 1.516 million
  3. Seven News 6.30 — 1.512 million
  4. Origin – Pre-Match (Nine) — 1.108 million
  5. Nine/NBN News  6.30 — 1.077 million 
  6. Nine/NBN News — 1.000 million
  7. ABC News 7-8pm  — 965,000
  8. 7.30 (ABC) — 892,000
  9. Gruen (ABC) — 849,000
  10. Hard Quiz (ABC) — 839,000

Top metro programs: 

  1. State of Origin – Game 2  — 1.654 million
  2. Seven News — 1.022 million
  3. Seven News 6.30 — 1.007 million

Losers: Origin too dominant. Seven and Ten ran dead.

Top Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Seven News — 1.022 million
  2. Seven News 6.30 — 1.007 million
  3. Nine News 6.30 — 806,000
  4. Nine News  —771,000 
  5. ABC News — 686,000
  6. 7.30  — 627,000
  7. The Project 7pm (Ten) — 403,000
  8. Ten News First — 311,000
  9. The Project 6.30 (Ten) — 277,000
  10. SBS World News — 164,000

 Morning (National) TV:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) — 457,000/270,000
  2. News Breakfast (ABC, ABC News) — 321,000/221,000
  3. Today (Nine) — 318,000/215,000
  4. The Morning Show (Seven) — 225,000
  5. Today Extra (Nine) — 156,000
  6. Studio 10 (Ten) — 39,000

Top five pay TV programs:

  1. The Bolt Report (Sky News) — 71,000
  2. Paul Murray (Sky News) — 68,000
  3. Alan Jones (Sky News) — 62,000
  4. Credlin (Sky News) — 60,000
  5. Great British Sewing Bee (LifeStyle) — 48,000