Pre-Games win for Seven

It was the week Mike Munro announced his retirement, Sam Newman made another slip of the tongue, Nine stood down the NRL Footy Show’s Phil Gould, the ABC was slugged with a $450,000 defamation payout over Four Corners while Seven copped a payout over Today Tonight, Austar announced a $7m loss, and YouTube made two TV appearances, first with a sneak peek of the Beijing Opening Ceremony and a 1970s reunion with a lion for which only Kerri-Anne Kennerley bothered to accompany with an actual interview.

Channel Seven won the week with a convincing 29.4% over Nine’s 27.0% and TEN’s 20.0% -just 0.1% above its lowest result all year. The ABC had 18.1% and SBS 5.5%.

Seven won Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Nine won Sunday and Thursday. They both tied for Tuesday. Seven won all cities. Top show of the week was 60 Minutes with 1.67m viewers.

In weekly wins Seven is now inching ahead of Nine, prior to the Olympics. It has 12 survey wins to Nine’s 10, with one week tied.

Seven’s top show for the week was The Force at 1.66m, which together with Border Security and City Homicide delivered the network a strong Monday night. Wednesday was equally powerful thanks to RSPCA Animal Rescue, Medical Emergency and Criminal Minds. Other performers for Seven last week were Seven News, Better Homes and Gardens, The One, All Saints, Home and Away, Today Tonight, Made in China, Battle of the Choirs and Ghost Whisperer. No doubt the network is hoping tonight is its final under performing Sunday. It has burned off Lipstick Jungle and Private Practice, neither of which matched the following of Grey’s Anatomy. Dancing with the Stars will make the network more competitive when it arrives August 31. Prison Break’s finale proves fans are not willing to wait for shows that are not fasttracked, but enough to show there is still an audience for the show.

60 Minutes has not been the only shining light on Nine’s winning Sundays –Domestic Blitz is a clear fan favourite (a good ‘blue sky’ sign for Battlefronts and 2009’s return of The Block). Thursday’s strong performance is worth noting, only just behind Sunday figures -primarily due to Two and a Half Men, Getaway and Celebrity Singing Bee. But it is Wipeout that is proving a surprise hit. Other deliveries for Nine were from Farmer Wants a Wife (not so far behind City Homicide), CSI Miami, David Attenborough, Nine News and A Current Affair. The resurging Today continues to shadow Sunrise (what a shame Sunday couldn’t). But McLeod’s Daughters tumbled under 900,000 –a worrying sign so early in the final season. Has the audience given up? Mike Munro’s This is Your Life (profiling a young and relative newcomer in Shannon Noll) and Missing Persons Unit were hit hard by competition on Seven. Unsurprisingly, The F Word also lost to Andrew Denton’s Gordon Ramsay interview on Monday.

Only 0.1% saved TEN from matching its lowest performance this year. A repeat of Thank God You’re Here gave it the biggest audience, 1.19m followed by repeats of NCIS (1.16m) then a new ep of Law & Order: Criminal Intent (1.00m). Even a new episode of The Simpsons couldn’t manage 1 million. But it was Monday night when everything fell apart, with an audience share of just 16.6% -beaten by the ABC. At least Neighbours put in a strong performance with 954,000. Burn Notice, Friends and Mark Loves Sharon disappointed. The real problem is America’s Next Top Model –unlikely to survive a Sunday / Monday future beyond the Olympics. 9AM with David and Kim hangs on with figures that couldn’t save Sunday –thank goodness for advertorials.

The final Gruen Transfer (1.45m) was its biggest audience this season, and caps off a remarkable debut. Together with Spicks and Specks and Hollowmen, the network defeated Nine and TEN in these slots. Foyle’s War, Doctor Who, Enough Rope, ABC News, 7:30 Report, The Commander, Australian Story, Gil Mayo Mysteries and The Bill were all strong.

Top Gear’s 938,000 topped America’s Next Top Model on TEN and gave the network its best night at 7.8%. Tuesday was a big disappointment at only 3.6%.

Week 31.