The Winners: Seven News was tops with 1.530 million, ahead of Midsomer Murder with 1.487 million on the ABC at 8.35pm. Seven’s Border Security was 3rd with 1.428 million and The Force was next with 1.413 million people for Seven at 8pm. Sunday Night (now more a public affairs than current affairs program) averaged 1.329 million and Nine News was 6th with 1.195 million. Yellowstone averaged 1.098 million at 7.30pm for the ABC and the 8.30pm ABC News update was 8th with 1.039 million. That meant from the start of the Midsomer Murders to the end the ABC was number one across Australia. That again saw Australian Idol out of the million viewer club with 984,000 people, but more importantly, 60 Minutes with just 953,000. Rescue Special Ops averaged 944,000 at 8.30pm for Nine, the 6.30pm 20 to 1 on Nine, 933,000. Ten’s repeat at 6.30pm of Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation, 838,000.

The Losers: Ten, from 6pm onwards, it could not get a program into the million viewer club. Nine also struggled with 60 Minutes under a million, Rescue Special Ops under a million and the 20 to 1 ratings filler at 6.30pm under a million. CSI Miami at 9.30pm, 684,000. Some fine turkeys there. At least Nine News averaged, more than 1.1 million viewers at 6pm but got badly creamed by Seven News. Seven’s movie, Casino Royale, from 8.30pm, 766,000.

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally and in every market. Ten News averaged 743,000. Sports Tonight averaged 583,000 at 5.30pm. The 7pm ABC News averaged 985,000. SBS News at 6.30pm averaged 203,000, Dateline, 182,000. In the morning Weekend Sunrise on Seven from 8am, 348,000, Landline on the ABC at Noon, 257,000. Today on Sunday on Nine, 252,000. Insiders on the ABC at 9am, 193,000, Inside Business at 10am, 154,000, Offsiders at 10.30am, 146,000. Meet the Press on Ten, 52,000.

The Stats: Seven won the 6pm to midnight All People battle with 27.0% (25.1% a week ago) for its single channel. Nine was next with a combined figure of 24.4% (24.5%). The ABC was third with 22.6% (22.3%), Ten was third with 20.7% (21.8%) and SBS was on 5.2% (7.8%). Seven won all five metro markets. In Perth, the ABC finished second to Seven and equal second in Sydney with Nine.

Digitally: Nine’s Go won with 3.20%, leaving Nine’s Main Channel with 21.20%. Ten’s One was next with 2.50% (18.30% for Ten’s main channel) and ABC 2 was on 1.50% (ABC 1, 21.10%). SBS TWO averaged 0.40%, ABC ONE, 4.90%. That made a combined total of 7.60% for the separated digital channels last night. Nine’s Go got a similar share a week ago, meaning that Nine’s main channel is much weaker on Sunday nights than it seems from the combined figure. In regional areas a win for Prime/7Qld with 26.4% from WIN/NBN with 24.8%, the ABC with 22.4%, Southern Cross (Ten) with 18.7% and SBS on 6.7%.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Nine won last week narrowly because of the contribution from its Go digital channel and the very good audiences Friday and Saturday nights for the NRL finals and not because Nine was stronger overall than Seven. In fact, stripping out Nine’s digital channel, Go, Seven won the week’s battle between the main channels. Including the digital channels, Including Go, Nine won with a share of 28.4% to Seven on 28.1%. Excluding the digital channels, Seven won with 28.1% to 26.6% for Nine’s main channel.

Seven won fairly comfortably last night, from Nine. The ABC was third, Ten was a worrying 4th. If this is way Sunday evenings are going to go now up to the end of ratings, Nine and Ten will have some painful Monday mornings.

For the 4th week in a row, Australian Idol had an audience under 1 million viewers. Ten must be at wits’ end. It’s flat, no one stands out and if this keeps up it won’t be back because Ten will not be able to generate the revenue to offset the costs. Australian Idol and Rove (656,000 viewers) made sure Ten won the 16 to 39, but originally it was also aiming at 18 to 49’s with Australian Idol and Rove.

But the real news from last night was the bath taken by 60 Minutes on Nine at 7.30pm. With just 953,000 viewers, it finished 4th in the hour slot, beaten by Seven’s duo of Border Security and The Force and the ABC’s Yellowstone Park nature special and Australian Idol‘s first hour. Seven’s Sunday Night an hour earlier averaged 1.329 million and showed up 60 Minutes for its rigid, prepared approach. Sunday Night is live hosted.

Midsomer Murders ends on the ABC next Sunday night and should get a big audience starting after the end of the NRL Grand Final on Nine. Seven runs dead next Sunday night and rests its usual line up. The NRL Grand Final kicks off at 5.15pm and ends by 7pm, with 60 Minutes starting at 7.30pm.

TONIGHT: The first of the fast tracked programs on Seven, Nine and Ten. There will be quite a few this week, while there a couple of new local efforts as well across the networks. We are now locking down for the run towards the end of ratings in late November.

Seven starts FlashForward a new series with Lost overtones that mixes time loss and other hard to believe bits. That’s at 8.30pm tonight and after that is Mercy, a (surprise surprise) medical drama.

Nine fast tracks The Mentalist at 8.30pm and starts the local version of The Apprentice for 90 minutes from 9.30pm. A brave move this. The program, starring Mark Bouris as our Donald Trump, has chewed up most of Nine’s recent promotional budget.

Ten’s highlight is probably The 7pm Project and maybe Good News Week. Its fast tracked big guns appear tomorrow night (NCIS) and Wednesday, NCIS Lost Angeles. SBS has Top Gear at 7.30pm. The ABC has Australian Story at 8pm.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports