A Taliban fighter (Image: AP/Rahmat Gul)

How do you spell Australian TV on a Thursday night? Besides the obvious B-O-R-I-N-G, try N-R-L (Nine) — 604,000 (as the second-string Melbourne team beat the Gold Coast for their 19th straight win). Q+A? Well, Afghanistan dominated with 521,000 viewers — after Foreign Correspondent’s well-timed report from that embattled country — 654,000. But 20% of its audience vanished in a matter of minutes when Q+A started. It was actually interesting, but impotent.

Could you spell Thursday night TV with The Bachelor? 704,000 for Ten with no opposition and bored female viewers in the demo locked down in Sydney, NSW and Melboring.

The Front Bar was on too late in Sydney thanks to the odd programming ideas of Seven. Its 511,000 national viewers was solid and the 271,000 in Melbourne was the fifth biggest audience in that market and the ninth biggest nationally last night.

Home and Away on Seven continues its autumnal romance with its base — 1.03 million nationally last night for the first bit and 911,000 for the second bit.

For the weekend? COVID-linked entertainment with the usual suspects giving us their updates. Sigh.

Breakfast: Sunrise, 473,000 nationally and 279,000 metro; Today, 376,000 and 256,000; News Breakfast, 348,000 and 215,000.

Regional top five: Seven News, 647,000; Seven News 6.30, 619,000; Home and Away, 408,000; Nine News, 389,000, 7pm ABC News, 379,000.

Network channel share:

  1. Nine (28.1%)
  2. Seven (27.9%)
  3. Ten (18.0%)
  4. ABC (17.5%)
  5. SBS (8.6%)


Network main channels:

  1. Nine (20.1%)
  2. Seven (19.9%)
  3. ABC  (12.1%)
  4. Ten (11.1%)
  5. SBS ONE (4.3%)


Top 5 digital channels: 

  1. 7TWO (3.9%)
  2. 10 Peach (3.2%)
  3. 10 Bold (3.1%)
  4. ABC Kids/Plus (2.7%)
  5. GO (2.6%)


Top 10 national programs:

  1. Seven News — 1.778 million
  2. Seven News 6.30 — 1.722 million
  3. Nine News  — 1.447 million
  4. Nine News 6.30 — 1.334 million
  5. 7pm ABC News — 1.171 million
  6. Home and Away (Seven) — 1.032 million
  7. A Current Affair (Nine) — 999,000
  8. The Chase Australia 5.30pm (Seven) — 974,000
  9. Home and Away — Late (Seven) — 911,000
  10. 7.30 (ABC) — 872,000


Top metro programs: 
1. Seven News  — 1.151 million
2. Seven News 6.30 — 1.103 million
3. Nine News —1.058 million


Loser: The Bachelor — just flat.

Metro news and current affairs

  1. Seven News — 1.151 million
  2. Seven News 6.30 —1.103 million
  3. Nine News — 1.058 million
  4. Nine News 6.30 — 976,000
  5. 7pm ABC News — 742,000
  6. ACA (Nine) — 694,000
  7. 7.30 (ABC) — 594,000
  8. The Project 7pm (Ten) — 529,000
  9. Foreign Correspondent (ABC) — 443,000
  10. Ten News First (ABC) — 383,000


Morning (national) TV:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) — 473,000/279,000
  2. Today (Nine) — 376,000/256,000
  3. News Breakfast (ABC) — 348,000/215,000
  4. The Morning Show (Seven) — 265,000
  5. Today Extra (Nine) — 219,000
  6. Studio 10 (Ten) —  61,000


Top five pay TV programs: 

  1. NRL: Gold Coast v Melbourne (Fox League) — 238,000
  2. NRL: The Late Show With Matty Johns (Fox League) — 869,000
  3. Aussie Gold Hunters (Discovery) — 73,000
  4. NRL: pre-game (Fox League), Credlin (Sky News) — 64,000