It Takes ‘Week Two’ for Seven

It was the week the axe fell, Foxtel lost customer records, TEN apologised for the ‘F’ word, Nine found its gangland war trading on the black market, Sonia Kruger called Alan Jones a ‘queen’ and gambling through the remote control got the thumbs up.

But after losing the first week of ratings to Nine, Seven snatched back glory by winning 28.0% to Nine’s 26.8% and TEN’s 22.3%.

The ABC had 16.8% and SBS 6.0%.

Seven won Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday leaving Sunday and Thursday to Nine. Seven won Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. Nine took Melbourne and Adelaide.

Seven’s top show of the week was RSPCA Animal Rescue at 1.59m viewers. It is now our most popular observational series. Other top shows for Seven include The Force, Border Security, Home and Away, It Takes Two, Seven News, Today Tonight, The Real Seachange, Better Homes and Gardens, Desperate Housewives, The Zoo and Grey’s Anatomy. This week Seven won the ominous title of swinging the axe first, when it pulled its 5pm karaoke teaser It Takes Two: Getting Ready after one episode. The show was designed to bolster under-performing figures for its primetime variety show but proved no help. Also struggling is Out of the Question, only just ahead of the ABC. Rumour is Seven is likely to shift it to a later slot. Seven’s Sundays continue to be compromised by TEN’s big dance show, with both networks appealing to a similar demographic while Nine benefits from cricket. Seven was third on Sunday, a night that was pivotal to its 2007 wins.

The One Day Cricket may have led for Nine, but the better news for Nine was that Underbelly held its audience. It only lost some 30,000 viewers, a drop in the ocean when shows often have bigger drops of 200,000 in their second week. It bodes well that the drama is connecting outside Melbourne (where it’s only ‘law-breakers’ that are watching it). Top shows for Nine included CSI, RPA, National Nine News and the new breakout hit Kitchen Nightmares USA. Gordon Ramsay is now upstaging Nine’s own locally-produced Chopping Block, which dropped in its third week. Hanging on to most of its audience was Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles, no small feat given the poor lead in from Monster House. The candid camera style show was pulled from schedules only hours after Seven dropped ITT: Getting Ready, with eps likely to screen in non-ratings. Nine foolishly snubbed a cricket match for its regular Tuesday line-up and it may well have cost them the week. Two and a Half Men continues to lose to commercial opposition. And either viewers loved former host Toni Pearen or middle Australia has finally woken up to the realisation that Funniest Home Videos isn’t…. Cashmere Mafia debuted to 1.1m.

TEN continues to enjoy one of the few ‘buzz’ shows of the new year with SYTYCD winning 1.52m viewers on Sunday (though everyone was a bit surprised the Monday elimination show didn’t match it –are viewers wise to one hour verdict shows?). But its other local hit is Bondi Rescue, booming thanks to discontent with other commercial choices. The Biggest Loser is up and down like a diet yo-yo. Also tops with TEN were House (Melbourne’s Underbelly alternative), Good News Week, Law & Order: SVU and Women’s Murder Club. Back To You lost some ground but not as much as Rules of Engagement. Fridays and Saturdays remain problematic for TEN –how is this possible after the same trend in 07?

A repeat of Doc Martin was the top show for the ABC at 1.18m. It proves the strength of the ABC’s Saturday viewers, and will no doubt lift higher when two specials screen from March 8. Four Corners’ Liberal Party expose was next then Miss Marple, Spicks and Specks, ABC News, Dalziel and Pascoe and 7:30 Report. ABC is certainly feeling the loss of no Chaser, Enough Rope or Chris Lilley.

Best for SBS was the final Top Gear (2002 eps now air on Saturdays) and the final locally-produced Who Do You Think You Are?

Ratings Week 8