Mentalist lifts Nine’s depression

11Oct08

National TV ratings: David Dale, Sun Herald blogs

A week that started wonderfully for Channel Nine, with 2.05 million viewers for the rugby league grand final, ended up like most of the others — with a smashing win for Channel Seven. Seven had the next five most watched shows (Packed to the Rafters, Find My Family, City Homicide, The Force and Border Security) and averaged 30.7 per cent of the prime time audience for the week.

Nine averaged 25.9 per cent. Its only other good news was 1.3 million for its new US drama The Mentalist, but some of these may have been people who forgot to change the dial after the grand final.

The disappearance of Doctor Who has done no harm to the ABC, which averaged 18.7 per cent of the prime time audience, thanks to Spicks and Specks (1.3m) Midsomer Murders (1.1m) and the news (1million). Channel Ten averaged 19.5 per cent, thanks to NCIS (1.3m) and Australian Idol (1.2), but did itself no good by replacing Kenny’s World with Jamie’s Ministry of Food , which drew only 764,000. After it, House managed only 858,000.

SBS (5.2 per cent) must have been disappointed with the second week of Top Gear Australia, which drew only 669,000, but would have regarded 376,000 as a healthy figure for the new comedy Bogan Pride.

On Pay TV, the most watched shows included the India vs Australia Cricket Test (297,000 for Session 3 and 276,000 for Session 2, on Fox Sports 2); America’s Next Top Model (186,000 for Fox 8), and The Simpsons (164,000 for Fox 8).

What Australia watched, week ending October 11
1 RUGBY LEAGUE GRAND FINAL Nine 2,051,000
2 PACKED TO THE RAFTERS Seven 1,978,000
3 FIND MY FAMILY Seven 1,797,000
4 CITY HOMICIDE Seven 1,701,000
5 THE FORCE Seven 1,681,000
6 BORDER SECURITY Seven 1,592,000
7 RSPCA ANIMAL RESCUE Seven 1,507,000
8 TWO AND A HALF MEN -WED EP2 Nine 1,471,000
9 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,447,000
10 TWO AND A HALF MEN -WED Nine 1,383,000
11 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,378,000
12 CRIMINAL MINDS Seven 1,368,000
13 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,344,000
14 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC1 1,339,000
15 THE MENTALIST Nine 1,330,000

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