Not even Hugh can save Nine

2Mar09

National TV ratings week ending 28 Feb 2009

Source: David Dale, Sun Herald blogs

Despite having the most watched series and the most successful Oscars broadcast in years, Channel Nine could not win the week. This seems likely to be the pattern for the first half of 2009: Seven averaged 28.5 per cent of the prime time audience, while Nine got 27.9, Ten 21.3 (thanks to NCIS, SYTYCDA and LTM), ABC 16.1 (thanks mainly to Spicks and Specks, with The Gruen Transfer bound to boost the numbers from mid-March) and SBS 6.1 (a rise due almost entirely to Top Gear, which seems to have stolen viewers from Underbelly by going half an hour longer than usual).

Is this column silly enough to predict the year, only two weeks into “official” ratings? You bet we are. Seven to win, with slightly reduced audience share, Nine up slightly, Ten the same, ABC down slightly, SBS the same.

For the second week running, subscription TV was the number one source of TV viewing across Australia. In week 9, 2009 STV channels accounted for 24.2% of all metropolitan viewing between 6am and midnight, was 21.9% of all regional viewing and 61.2% of all viewing in subscription TV homes. This week in particular saw an abundance of high quality sporting events on subscription TV as the summer seasons finished and the winter competitions commenced.

And of course, Pay TV will be up considerably, mainly due to sport. This was Pay’s account of itself for last week: “Live: Cricket: Test RSA v Aus Session 2 was watched by 307,000 viewers on Saturday night; 246,000 viewers watched Melbourne Victory prevail over Adelaide FC in Live: Football: A-League Grand Final and 172,000 watched the thrilling conclusion of the domestic one day cricket as Queensland beat Victoria in Live: Cricket: Ford Ranger Cup Final. With the commencement of the winter football codes, Live: AFL: NAB Cup Sydney v Port Adel was watched by 154,000 people; 106,000 subscribers watched the Rabitohs beat St. George in their traditional season opener Live: Rugby League: Charity Shield and 100,000 watched the Waratahs win their third game on the trot in Live: Rugby Union: S14 W’tahs v H’land. In entertainment programming, The Simpsons on Saturday morning was watched by 156,000 people, and M*A*S*H on Tuesday night was seen by 104,000.”

 What Australia Watched:
1 UNDERBELLY: A TALE OF TWO CITIES Nine 2,334,000
2 PACKED TO THE RAFTERS Seven 1,839,000
3 FIND MY FAMILY Seven 1,635,000
4 RSPCA ANIMAL RESCUE Seven 1,507,000
5 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,440,000
6 NCIS Ten 1,388,000
7 BORDER SECURITY Seven 1,384,000
8 AUSTRALIA’S GOT TALENT Seven 1,370,000
9 SEVEN NEWS – SAT Seven 1,365,000
10 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,337,000
11 CRIMINAL MINDS Seven 1,333,000
12 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE AUSTRALIA Ten 1,315,000
13 CUSTOMS Nine 1,313,000
14 60 MINUTES Nine 1,289,000
15 TWO AND A HALF MEN Nine 1,258,000

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