I'm a celebrity TV ratings
(Image: Network 10)

Tuesday in mid January. The only way to survive free-to-air TV is to wonder if TV executives (chief executives, sales bosses and especially programmers) belong in the fourth or eighth circle of Dante’s hell.

That’s for the classically minded. Look it up. One of the circles is greed.

These thoughts come to mind after a night when a repeat of the third part of a Trump special on Nine (582,000 helped by the lead-in: 999,000 for ACA from 7pm) saw the network easily top Seven and its Big Bash (560,000 for the game — Perth v Hobart. Who cares?) and Ten’s I’m A Celebrity (916,000) and win prime time.

I’m A Celebrity ran third from 7pm with ACA and the 7pm ABC News, 962,000, doing better for the half hour.

There are just so many times you can go to the well of Netflix, Stan et al and emerge the next morning ready to give free-to-air TV a chance again.

In breakfast, Sunrise, 441,000 national and 245,000 metro viewers; Today, 283,000 national and 187,000 metro.

Regional markets: Seven News, 520,000; Seven News 6.30, 518,000; 7pm ABC News, 341,000; ACA, 331,000; Nine News 6.30, 319,000.

Network channel share:

  1. Nine (28.8%)
  2. Seven (23.8%)
  3. Ten (23.7%)
  4. ABC (13.6%)
  5. SBS (10.0%)

Network main channels:

  1. Nine (20.1%)
  2. Seven (15.9%)
  3. Ten (15.0%)
  4. ABC (8.3%)
  5. SBS ONE (6.7%)

Top 5 digital channels:

  1. 10 Bold (4.3%)
  2. 7TWO, 10 Peach (3.5%)
  3. 7mate (3.1%)
  4. 9Life (2.9%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1. Seven News — 1.45 million
  2. Seven News 6.30 — 1.37 million
  3. Nine News — 1.17 million
  4. Nine News 6.30 — 1.15 million
  5. A Current Affair (Nine) — 999,000
  6. 7pm ABC News — 962,000
  7. I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here (Ten) — 916,000
  8. The Chase Australia 5.30pm (Seven) — 720,000
  9. 7.30 Summer (ABC) — 663,000
  10. Big Bash (Seven) — 602,000

Top metro programs: No program had a million or more viewers.

Losers: All of us if we watched free-to-air or Foxtel last night.

Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Seven News — 932,000
  2. Nine News — 883,000
  3. Seven News 6.30 — 847,000
  4. Nine News 6.30 — 835,000
  5. ACA (Nine) — 688,000
  6. 7pm ABC News – 622,00
  7. The Project 7pm (Ten) — 430,000
  8. 7.30 (ABC) — 420,000
  9. Ten News First — 288,000
  10. The Project 6.30 (Ten) — 250,000

Morning (National) TV:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) — 441,000/245,000
  2. Today (Nine) – 283,000/187,000
  3. News Breakfast (ABC) — n/a
  4. The Morning Show (Seven) – n/a
  5. Today Extra — Summer (Nine) — n/a
  6. Studio 10 (Ten) — n/a

Top five pay TV programs:

  1. Cricket — BBL (Fox Cricket) — 195,000
  2. Cricket — BBL (Fox Cricket) — 180,000
  3. Cricket: Between The Innings (Fox Cricket) — 179,000
  4. Cricket: BBL Post Game (Fox Cricket) — 51,000
  5. B4 The Bash (Fox Cricket), Chris Smith Tonight (Sky News) — 49,000,000