Viva cash giveaways!

Week 43 was the week Seven and Nine tried to buy viewers with Bingo and Millionaire cash prizes and a Worm left everybody arguing.

Nine’s revamp of Monday evenings was frought with pitfalls. The live Millionaire event was followed by the all-singing, all-dancing Viva Laughlin. But as host Eddie McGuire pointed out, US critics had asked if Hugh Jackman’s venture was “the worst show ever?” Sitting in the studio audience it was a little odd to hear Eddie admit this directly before the show’s premiere. If he hadn’t been live it probably would have been edited out. Damned if you’re honest, damned if you’re not Ed?

By the time all was said and done, Seven’s Sunday Bingo had run rings around Nine’s new Monday.

Seven won the week 28.9% to Nine’s 25.3%, TEN’s 22.6%, the ABC’s 17.9% and SBS’ 5.4%. Seven won all cities plus national wins on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Nine won Wednesday and Saturday.

By all rights the Leaders’ Debate should have been the number #1 show of the week. Its combined FTA audience was over 2.3m viewers, more if the subscription audience is factored in. But divided by Worm and Worm-less audiences, technically it wasn’t.

Instead Border Security got that title with 1.85m viewers. For Seven the other top raters were The Force, Dancing with the Stars, National Bingo Night, City Homicide, Kath and Kim, Seven News, Today Tonight, Home and Away, All Saints, Better Homes and Gardens and Medical Emergency. But Seven finished third on Wednesday and is wisely winding up Las Vegas this coming week. Casino shows suck it seems? Seven did manage to win Thursday despite Bionic Woman already showing signs of weakness, and Heroes not getting any help. So much for fasttracking as the year’s salvation.

Streaming direct to air also proved problematic for Viva Laughlin. If Nine had stuck to old school programming it could have slotted the show more strategically, with the knowledge that CBS had axed the show. Nine pulled the show after 833,000 viewers (only to then reinstate the second and final ep at 10:30pm tomorrow night). 60 Minutes was the top show for the week with its loud and proud Worm getting 1.4m viewers. Elsewhere its strongest shows were National Nine News, Missing Persons Unit, A Current Affair, Temptation, The Gift, Farmer Wants a Wife, Cold Case, Who Wants to be A Millionaire and Funniest Home Videos. Nine pulled off something of a feat by winning Wednesday despite having only one entry in the top ten (#10 National Nine News) thanks to Farmer. Moving Damages to 10:30pm also helped Without a Trace to lift the evening share. On Sunday The Singing Bee was off-tune by Seven’s bingo night.

As usual House was tops for TEN with 1.4m viewers. It finished ahead of Australian Idol, and a particularly strong So You Think You Can Dance. Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader, The Simpsons, NCIS, Rove and Supernatural followed. TEN had a disappointing Friday with a middling debut for Friday Night Download.

It was all good news at the ABC. On Wednesday it snared the top 3 shows with The Chaser, Spicks and Specks and the final hurrah for the controversial Summer Heights High. It almost outscored the Seven Network. On Saturday New Tricks was again the top show for the night. ABC News, Enough Rope, Rebus and the Leaders’ Debate were all strong.

SBS was strongest on Saturday and Monday.

Ratings Week 43.