Most watched programs:
1    The Force    PRIME    59000
2    Dancing With The Stars 7    PRIME    53000
3    Border Security    PRIME    52000
4    Spicks & Specks    ABC    50000
5    Prime News Monday to Friday    PRIME    47000
6    All Saints    PRIME    46000
7    Seven News Monday to Friday    PRIME    45000
8    Missing Persons Unit    NBN    44000
9    Neighbours    TEN    39000
10    City Homicide    PRIME    38000

Station ratings:
            Week 43 2007    Week 43 2006    Prog 2007    Prog 2006
NBN            30.2                    31.9                30.7            33.7
PRIME        29.6                    28.9                31.7            29.6
TEN            20.1                    23.3                19.4            20.3
ABC            15.8                    11.5                13.6            12.1
SBS              4.4                      4.4                  4.6              4.2

It was a case of oh-so-close again for Prime as NBN just pipped them for the top spot again last week.

Prime had half of the Top 10 Programs for the week in Newcastle, followed by ABC with 3 and NBN just 2

Most watched programs:
1    Dancing With The Stars 7    PRIME    82000
2    National Bingo Night    PRIME    77000
3    The Chasers War on Everything    ABC    76000
4    NBN Evening News Monday to Friday    NBN    76000
5    Spicks & Specks    ABC    76000
6    Kath & Kim    PRIME    75000
7    Medical Emergency    PRIME    69000
8    City Homicide    PRIME    69000
9    New Tricks - Ev    ABC    68000
10  A Current Affair    NBN   67000

Station ratings:
            Week 43 2007    Week 43 2006    Prog 2007    Prog 2006
NBN            29.1                31.4                34.2            36.8
PRIME        28.6                24.1                25.1            22.1
TEN            20.5                22.4                18.5            19.3
ABC            16.4                16.2                16.3            16.2
SBS             5.3                  5.9                  5.9              5.7

Channel Seven won the latest national TV ratings week in a canter, averaging 28.9 per cent of the prime
time audience, with Nine on 25.3 per cent, Ten on 22.6, ABC on 17.9 and
SBS on 5.4.

Most tellingly, only 60 Minutes with the Election Debate coverage made the Top 15 Programs for the week for Nine. Seven had 9 programs in the Top 15 followed by ABC with 3.

What Australia watched week ending 28 October
1 BORDER SECURITY Seven 1,857,000
2 THE FORCE Seven 1,759,000
3 DANCING WITH THE STARS Seven 1,756,000
4 THE CHASER’S WAR ON EVERYTHING ABC 1,637,000
5 CITY HOMICIDE Seven 1,570,000
6 NATIONAL BINGO NIGHT Seven 1,558,000
7 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC 1,545,000
8 SUMMER HEIGHTS HIGH ABC 1,482,000
9 HOUSE Ten 1,482,000
10 KATH & KIM - SERIES 1 Seven 1,465,000
11 SEVEN NEWS - SUNDAY Seven 1,455,000
12 SEVEN NEWS - MONDAY-FRIDAY Seven 1,429,000
13 60 MINUTES Nine 1,426,000
14 AUSTRALIAN IDOL - SUNDAY Ten 1,381,000
15 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,370,000

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Source: Adnews

The Nine Network’s (ed: and NBN’s) new musical drama Viva Laughlin has been axed in the US after just two episodes.

The program, which debuted last night (22 October) on Nine with 833,000 viewers, has been cancelled in the US by CBS.

The first episode’s screening in the US received 8.4 million viewers, with the second airing rating just 6.8 million.

Viva Laughlin, created by Hugh Jackman’s production company, Seed, was heavily panned by TV critics.

The axing will come as a blow to Nine, which promoted the program heavily.

Most watched programs:
1    The Force    PRIME    58000
2    Spicks & Specks    ABC    55000
3    Dancing With The Stars 7    PRIME    55000
4    Border Security    PRIME    54000
5    Prime News Monday to Friday    PRIME    49000
6    Kath & Kim    PRIME    49000
7    The Chasers War on Everything    ABC    47000
8    Missing Persons Unit    NBN    45000
9    Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader    TEN    45000
10    McLeods Daughters    NBN    45000

Station ratings:
            Week 42 2007     Week 42 2006    Prog 2007    Prog 2006
NBN            28.0                    35.4                30.7            33.8
PRIME        30.7                    28.3                31.7            29.7
TEN            18.7                    21.1                19.4            20.2
ABC            17.5                    11.3                13.5            12.1
SBS             5.2                      4.0                  4.7             4.2

We are suddenly experiencing some very interesting results in the weekly Newcastle TV ratings. The footy season is well and truly over and a crop of different programs are now on top.

Prime came within a whisker of winning its first ever non-Olympics ratings week in Newcastle, just 0.4% below NBN.

ABC has a range of hits on its hands with 4 programs in the Top 10 this week, including The Chaser at No.1. Has this ever happened before? Prime will also be over the moon with 4 in the Top 10, while NBN News was the only product of their to hang in there.

Most watched programs:
1    The Chasers War on Everything    ABC    108000
2    City Homicide    PRIME    96000
3    Spicks & Specks    ABC    96000
4    The Force    PRIME    88000
5    Dancing With The Stars 7    PRIME    87000
6    Kath & Kim    PRIME    86000
7    New Tricks - Ev    ABC    85000
8    NBN Evening News Monday to Friday    NBN    84000
9    NBN Evening News Sunday    NBN    83000
10   Summer Heights High    ABC    78000

Station ratings:
                Week 42 2007    Week 42 2006    Prog 2007    Prog 2006
NBN                28.8                    35.1                34.3            36.9
PRIME            28.4                    20.7                25.1            22.1
TEN                18.9                    22.2                18.4            19.1
ABC                18.0                    16.1                16.3            16.2
SBS                 5.8                      6.0                  5.9             5.7

Source: Miriam Steffens and Michael Evans, Sydney Morning Herald

BRUCE GORDON, the reclusive billionaire owner of WIN Television,
has swooped on a further 4.3 per cent of the Ten Network, securing
a blocking stake as market rumours emerged that Ten’s majority
owner CanWest had received a fresh approach for the
broadcaster.

Just four months after the Canadian media group failed to find a
buyer, Mr Gordon’s investment vehicle, Birketu, is understood to
have bought 40 million Ten shares at $3 apiece from an offshore
seller yesterday, taking its stake in Ten to above the 10 per cent
threshold necessary to block a takeover.

The Bermuda-based billionaire’s investment pushed Ten shares 10c
higher to $2.92, the highest close since June, when CanWest said
its nine-month search for a buyer of the broadcaster of
Australian Idol and The Simpsons had collapsed after
no one was willing to meet its price expectations.

The Canadian media group sought more than $3 a share for its
stake, while private equity firms including Blackstone and the
Carlyle Group were only prepared to pay between $2.70 and $2.80.
They were believed to be among the last bidders after Merrill
Lynch’s buyout unit and San Francisco-based Hellman & Friedman,
which is run by the former Publishing & Broadcasting chief
executive Brian Powers, pulled out over price concerns.

Mr Gordon, who owns the nation’s biggest regional broadcaster
WIN, acted on speculation that the Canadian media group had
received a revised bid at a level it would consider, possibly from
a combination of local and international buyout funds.

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Source: David Dale, Sydney Morning Herald

The ABC is going gangbusters at the moment. Last week it captured
more than 18 per cent of the prime time audience, coming close to
replacing Channel Ten as Network Number Three. You already know about
the success of Spicks and Specks, The Chaser’s War on Everything and Summer Heights High, but nobody expected the crime comedy, New Tricks, to pull 1.4 million viewers on Saturday night.

And election fever is keeping the audience for ABC news well above a
million most nights, while doing nothing for Channel Nine, which can no
longer bill itself as the most trusted source for news.

Channel Seven won the week, with 30 per cent of the prime time audience, while Nine got  25.7, Ten (with Australian Idol sinking fast) got 20.8, the ABC got 18.4 and SBS got 5.1.

What Australia watched, week ending October 20
1 KATH & KIM Seven 2,338,000
2 BORDER SECURITY Seven 1,904,000
3 THE FORCE Seven 1,877,000
4 DANCING WITH THE STARS Seven 1,811,000
5 CITY HOMICIDE Seven 1,695,000
6 HOUSE Ten 1,565,000
7 THE CHASER’S WAR ON EVERYTHING ABC 1,504,000
8 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,462,000
9 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC 1,408,000
10 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,376,000
11 NEW TRICKS ABC 1,361,000
12 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,354,000
13 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,350,000
14 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,348,000
15 HOT PROPERTY Seven 1,323,000