(Image: Seven Network)

So what was more embarrassing than last night’s finale of SAS Australia (won by Sam Burgess)? Why it was the second ep of Nine’s Love Island, which must have been based in a sinkhole the way it is rating.

Yes, bookies’ favourite Burgess won SAS Australia — he was always the pea from the money side of the competition. The Bachelor next, perhaps? SAS averaged 948,000. That it couldn’t grab a million national viewers for the deciding ep reminds us that it is not very watchable so far as core demographics are concerned. Yes, it will pick up delayed viewers over the next week but the overnights still count and the core audience liked The Block (1.17 million) on Nine much more.

But it is the disaster of Love Island that will be holding all the attention over at Nine today — 414,000 for the start on Monday night, 369,000 last night — these are national figures, mind you. It’s a grubby, grotty program with absolutely no redeeming features — a lot like Married At First Sight, The Bachelor and The Bachelorette.

From 8.40pm to 9.40pm it was beaten by The Cheap Seats on Ten (441,000), Step Into Paradise on the ABC (394,000) and a repeat of Inside Chernobyl on Seven (424,000). Love Island backs up again tonight and its ratings performance reminds us of the 2021 disaster known as The Weakest Link, also on Nine. Will Love Island last? Well, Nine has spent money on the flop, so it will remain in the schedule to try to cover some of its costs with discounted ads.

Network channel share:

  1. Seven (29.5%)
  2. Nine (27.7%)
  3. Ten (19.8%)
  4. ABC (15.1%)
  5. SBS (7.9%)

Network main channels:

  1. Seven (19.9%)
  2. Nine (19.8%)
  3. Ten (11.3%)
  4. ABC (10.7%)
  5. SBS ONE (4.7%)

Top 5 digital channels: 

  1. 10 Bold (4.4%)
  2. 7TWO (4.2%)
  3. 7mate (3.3%)
  4. Gem (3.2%)
  5. 10 Peach (3.1%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1. Seven News — 1.509 million
  2. Seven News 6.30 — 1.499 million
  3. Nine News  — 1.208 million
  4. Nine News 6.30 — 1.203 million
  5. The Block (Nine) — 1.178 million
  6. 7pm ABC News — 1.072 million
  7. Home and Away (Seven) — 972,000
  8. A Current Affair (Nine) — 971,000
  9. SAS Australia (Seven) — 948,000
  10. The Chase 5.30pm (Seven) — 795,000


Top metro programs: None with a million or more viewers. 

Losers Love Island on Nine, SAS Australia

Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Seven News 6.30 — 952,000
  2. Seven News  — 935,000
  3. Nine News —884,000
  4. Nine News 6.30 — 882,000
  5. 7pm ABC News —718,000
  6. ACA (Nine) — 685,000
  7. 7.30 (ABC) — 501,000
  8. The Project 7pm (Ten) — 431,000
  9. Ten News First (ABC) — 310,000
  10. The Project 6.30pm (Ten) — 260,000

Morning (national) TV:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) — 433,000/248,000
  2. Today (Nine) — 327,000/226,000
  3. News Breakfast (ABC) — 315,000/209,000
  4. The Morning Show (Seven) — 239,000
  5. Today Extra (Nine) — 177,000
  6. Studio 10 (Ten) —  44,000

Top five pay TV programs: 

  1. Paul Murray Live (Sky News) — 81,000
  2. Credlin (Sky News) — 80,000
  3. Alan Jones (Sky News) — 75,000
  4. Wentworth (Fox Showcase) — 73,000
  5. The Bolt Report (Sky News) —71,000