The Winners: Seven News topped the list with 1.648 million, Thank God You’re Here weakened to 1.572 million from over 1.7 million a week ago. That was for Seven at 7.30pm and Today Tonight was 3rd with 1.550 million. Spicks and Specks averaged 1.258 million at 8.30pm for the ABC and MasterChef Australia was 5th for Ten at 7pm with 1.241 million. The Gruen Transfer was 6th at 9pm for the ABC with 1.211 million and Nine News averaged 1.208 million. Nine News was 7th with 1.208 million, Criminal Minds was 8th for Seven at 8.30pm with 1.180 million and Home and Away averaged 1.157 million at 7pm for Seven. 10th was RPA for Nine at 8pm with 1.122 million, A Current Affair was 11th with 1.094 million and the 7pm ABC News was next with 1.090 million. Nine’s 8.30pm program, The Mentalist averaged 1.030 million in 13th, 14th was the 7pm repeat of Two and a Half Men for Nine and The new Simpsons episode at 8pm averaged 1.024 million for Ten. Nine’s program, What’s Good For You, fell again under a million viewers to 977,000. House on Ten averaged 955,000. Cold Case on Nine at 9.30pm, 901,000. Hot Seat at 5.30pm for Nine, 627,000, Deal or No Deal, 824,000. Ten News won the slot with 951,000.

The Losers: Numb3rs on Ten at 9.30pm: 647,000. That timeslot is the black hole for Ten this year. Nothing seems to be working well, except the occasional repeat of NCIS and Law and Order and its variants. Moving Wallpaper on the ABC at 9.30pm — 556,000 viewers.

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally and in every market as did Today Tonight. nationally, ACA slumped badly, losing a lot of viewers in Sydney. The 7pm ABC News had more viewers in Sydney, 366,000 than Nine News, 324,000 and ACA, 269,000. The 7.30 Report had more viewers in Sydney than ACA with 291,000, even though it was a touch down nationally. Ten News averaged 951,000, the late News/Sports Tonight with 323,000. Nationally The 7.30 Report averaged 801,000, Lateline, 273,000, Lateline Business, 176,000. SBS News at 6.30pm, 172,000, the 9.30pm edition, 241,000. 7am Sunrise, 385,000, 7am Today 260,000 without Karl Stefanovic for a second day. He was back today.

The Stats: Seven won with an All People 6pm to midnight share of 28.9% (29.9%) from Nine with 25.0% (25.6%), Ten with 22.3% (21.2%), the ABC, unchanged on 18.1% and SBS, 5.7% (4.2%). Seven won Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth and drew Adelaide with Nine. Nine still leads the week 29.0% to 27.2% for Seven. In regional areas a win for WIN/NBN with 28.3% from Prime/7Qld with 26.6%, Ten with 20.4%, the ABC with 17.1% and SBS with 7.6%. Seven won metro 18 to 49s and 25 to 54s.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Seven won the night, but a slight worry would be the 10% drop in the audience for Thank God You’re Here. Ten was boasting that the second half of MasterChef beat it in “the important demographics”. Ten also said it won 16 to 39. Ten’s prime time share in All People, 18 to 49 and 25 to 54 was behind Seven’s. But is was a fairly good night of viewing. The Cook and The Chef on the ABC at 6.30pm, 599,000. Food Safari at 7.30pm in repeat on SBS, 287,000. Less expensive than MasterChef and more informative and more celebratory of cooking, people’s cuisines and life. But MasterChef continues to have a lot of charm, if only for the desperates in the schoolroom and their mad eyes.

The way the figures for ACA slumped so sharply, especially in Sydney, will continue to worry Nine.

TONIGHT: Crikey‘s own Guy Rundle is on Q&A tonight on the ABC at 9.30 pm.

There’s the AFL and NRL Footy Shows on Nine at 9.30pm too.

Apart from that Getaway, on Nine at 7.30pm, another 20 to 1 clip show at 8.30pm. SBS has Inspector Rex the wonder dog in repeat at 7.30pm and Mad Men at 8.30pm. Seven has the female skewing Ghost Whisperer, Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice and Heroes.

The ABC has the Media Watch clip show at 8.30pm. Think of the program as the ABC’s version of 20 to 1 for Media Watch. Ten has MasterChef Australia, Rules of Engagement returning at 7.30pm, Bondi vet at 8pm and Law and Order CI at 8.30pm, before Medium at 9.30pm.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports