Magda Szubanski hosts Nine's The Weakest Link

If you were the programming chief of Nine today, what would you want to read in the Wednesday morning ratings report? How the high-profile Celebrity Apprentice went last night? (National program average 766,000 — 758,000 a week ago — so OK.) Or would you be peeking further down the list — much further down the list — to try to find The Weakest Link? Why, there it is at No. 26 in the national 100 most watched programs. Last week No. 19. Gulp. National audience 394,000 (double gulp). That’s down from 546,000 for the debut a week earlier. That one won’t fly any more so Nine’s attempt to rip the Hard Quiz “tough host” idea almost DOB (dead on broadcast). Next.

Nine and Seven shared the honours — Nine in total people, Seven in the main channels. Seven’s 6 to 7pm news won easily, Big Brother 840,000 beat Celebrity Apprentice’s 766,000 program average. MasterChef 735,000.

Breakfast: Sunrise, 450,000 nationally and 256,000 metro; Today, 305,000 and 194,000; News Breakfast, 288,000 and 193,000.

Regional top five: Seven News, 652,000; Seven News 6.30, 618,000; The Chase Australia 5.30pm, 394,000; Home and Away, 389,000; 7pm ABC News, 340,000.

Network channel share:

  1. Nine (28.4%)
  2. Seven (28.1%)
  3. Ten (18.5%)
  4. ABC (16.7%)
  5. SBS (8.2%)


Network main channels:

  1. Seven (19.3%)
  2. Nine (19.1%)
  3. ABC (12.0%)
  4. Ten (11.5%)
  5. SBS ONE (5.0%)


Top 5 digital channels:

  1. 10 Bold (3.7%)
  2. 7TWO (3.6%)
  3. 7mate (3.5%)
  4. Gem (3.4%)
  5. 10 Peach (2.9%)


Top 10 national programs:

  1. Seven News — 1.694 million
  2. Seven News 6.30 — 1.617 million
  3. Nine News — 1.380 million
  4. Nine News 6.30 — 1.327 million
  5. 7pm ABC News — 1.051 million
  6. A Current Affair (Nine) — 1.029 million
  7. Home and Away (Seven) — 973,000
  8. The Chase Australia 5.30pm (Seven) — 963,000
  9. 7.30 (ABC) — 865,000
  10. Big Brother (Seven) — 840,000


Top metro programs:
1. Nine News — 1.079 million

2. Seven News — 1.042 million

3. Nine News 6.30 — 1.016 million


Losers: The Weakest Link, Celebrity Apprentice.

Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Nine News — 1.079 million
  2. Seven News — 1.042 million
  3. Nine News 6.30 — 1.016 million
  4. Seven News 6.30 — 999,000
  5. ACA (Nine) — 740,000
  6. 7pm ABC News — 717,000
  7. 7.30 (ABC) — 599,000
  8. The Project 7pm (Ten) — 519,000
  9. Ten News First (ABC) — 395,000
  10. The Project 6.30pm (Ten) — 309,000


Morning (national) TV:

  1. Sunrise Seven) — 450,000/256,000
  2. Today (Nine) — 305,000/194,000
  3. News Breakfast (ABC) — 288,000/193,000
  4. The Morning Show (Seven) — 230,000
  5. Today Extra (Nine) — 169,000
  6. Studio 10 (Ten) — 54,000


Top five pay TV programs:

  1. Paul Murray Live (Sky News) — 80,000
  2. Credlin (Sky News) — 75,000
  3. Alan Jones (Sly News) — 74,000
  4. The Bolt Report (Sky News) —65,000
  5. AFL: 360 (Fox Footy) — 60,000