Seven wins the eyeballs but India takes the crown

A great day’s cricket and a great win by India which showed the ticker, ability and heart to win where Australia couldn’t.

The audience figures were distorted by the late finish to the game — well after 6.30pm on Seven and Foxtel.

Foxtel’s Cricket 360 program scheduled to start after the 6pm ending to the play didn’t attract 368,000 viewers and top the pay TV night. It was the spillover of the Test and the fact that, like Seven, Foxtel did not adjust the data on Wednesday morning to account for the late finish. That is usually done late morning.

For Seven its 6pm news averaged 1.66 million up to 6.30pm and 1.54 million from 6.30 to 7 (the news started in that slot). The third session of the Test (to a nominal 6pm) averaged 989,000, which was a considerable under-reporting. The real figure was probably closer to 1.4 million. That late finish to the Test also boosted the pre-game for the BBL (which started at 7pm) into the top 10 national list at number nine with 840,000 viewers. It was nothing of the sort.

Still, Seven won the night from Nine and Ten. I’m A Celebrity averaged 956,000 nationally and was the most watched non-sport, non-news program — not that it had any competition apart from the Test.

India was the real winner.

Breakfast: Sunrise, 464,000 national and 266,000 metro; ABC News Breakfast, 305,000 and 198,000; Today, 300,000 and 197,000.

Regional: Seven News with 595,000; Seven News 6.30, 560,000; 4th Test, day 5, session 3, 328,000; BBL pre-game, 314,000; 7pm ABC News, 301,000.

Network channel share:

1. Seven (26.9%)
2. Nine (26.0%)
3. Ten (23.1%)
4. ABC (13.9%)
5. SBS (10.1%)

Network main channels:

1. Seven (18.8%)
2. Nine (15.9%)
3. Ten (14.8%)
4. ABC (8.3%)
5. SBS ONE (6.1%)

Top 5 digital channels:

1. 10 Peach (3.9%)
2. 7mate, 10 Bold (3.8%)
3. GO (3.7%)
4. 7TWO (3.4%)

Top 10 national programs:

1. Seven News — 1.66 million
2. Seven News 6.30 — 1.55 million
3. Nine News — 1.25 million
4. Nine News 6.30 — 1.17 million
5. Cricket: 4th Test, Australia v India, day 5, session 3 (Seven) — 989,000
6. I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here (Ten) — 956,000
7. 7pm ABC News — 942,000
8. A Current Affair (Nine) — 904,000
9. BBL pre-game (Seven) — 840,000
10. BBL session 1 (Seven) — 711,000

Top metro programs:

1. Seven News — 1.07 million

Losers: Anyone who missed the Test, especially the final session and India’s great win.

Metro news and current affairs:

1. Seven News –1.07 million
2. Nine News — 989,000
3. Seven News 6.30 — 962,000
4. Nine News 6.30 — 882,000
5. 7pm ABC News – 641,00
6. A Current Affair (Nine) — 623,000
7. 7.30 (ABC) — 473,000
8. The Project 7pm (Ten) – 435,000
9. Ten News First — 268,000
10. The Project 6.30 (Ten) — 249,000

Morning (national) TV:

1. Sunrise (Seven) — 464,000/266,000
2. News Breakfast (ABC) — 305,000/198,000
3. Today (Nine) – 300,000/197,000
4. The Morning Show (Seven) – n/a
5. Today Extra — summer (Nine) — 176,000
6. Studio 10 (Ten) — 43,000

Top five pay TV programs:

1. Cricket 360 (Fox Cricket) — 368,000
2. Cricket — Test (Fox Cricket) — 289,000
3. Cricket: Between The Innings (Fox Cricket) — 236,000
4. Cricket: BBL (Fox Cricket) — 203,000
5. Cricket: Test, tea break (Fox Cricket) — 199,000