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2013 ratings battle is underway

Ratings: Against the cricket, Seven's line-up drove Sunday's ratings. But there was good news for MasterChef.

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seven_0210_downtonThe first night of the 2013 ratings year has gone to Seven.

Nine topped the night with Nine News (1.4m) but then it all went Seven’s way from 6:30pm.

Seven’s network share was 34.0% then Nine 28.9%, TEN 19.2%, ABC 14.4% and SBS 3.5%.

Border Security was best for Seven nudging 1.4m then Sunday Night (1.35m), The Force (1.34m), Downton Abbey (1.33m), Seven News (1.3m) and Castle (438,000 / 237,000).

Following Nine News was One Day Cricket (Sess 2: 1.08m / Sess 1: 879,000). A Mentalist replay was 569,000 in 3 states.

Encouraging to see Masterchef: The Professionals back at 1.03m without the competition from other reality shows. This indicates it still resonates for TEN. Elementary was 944,000 then Modern Family (922,000), TEN News (497,000), Bondi Rescue (469,000), The Graham Norton Show (443,000) and The All New Simpsons (353,000).

ABC News (741,000) was best for ABC1 then Kevin McCloud’s Man Made Home (740,000), Midsomer Murders (723,000), Dream Build (653,000), and Rev (243,000).

History Cold Case (193,000) had a tough night on SBS ONE then Wonders of the Solar System (175,000) and World News Australia (120,000).

ABC2’s Octonauts led multichannels with 220,000.

Sunday 10 February 2013.

31 Responses

  1. Part 2

    Regarding the ABC I’m glad they played Midsomer Murders last night. The ratings justified their choice. I’m glad they didn’t risk an Australian show against Downton.

    Regarding Elementary I think it’s doing well against all that competition. Even though I can’t watch it. I still wish it and Ten well however.

    P.S. I thought History Cold Case was interesting last night.

  2. Part 1

    There are a few issues that have been raised. Sorry it might get long. I’ll admit I’m just a biased viewer that happens to like live TV. Regarding Downton Abbey and downloading. I know some people might do it and even more get the DVDs from overseas. But seriously why bother? When it will hopefully be played at a decent time, reliably, with good quality picture and sound. Better than a computer although even if I had access to the NBN I’d still prefer live TV. That said there are limits and breaking points as a viewer.

    Regarding Castle it’s only temporary as Downton’s opening and closing episode (also not sure about the Christmas Special) are long. Supposedly it plays for 47 minutes without ads normally rather than 66 minutes. So Castle should start before 10pm and maybe closer to 9.40pm. As a viewer I like it on Sunday. But I’m biased. However I’m very happy its there. Thank you.

  3. @ryan
    MasterChef Australia has never been on at “the start of the year”. It is usually shown from around April/May through to late July. Usually TEN would be showing The Biggest Loser at the start of the year instead of MasterChef The Professionals.

  5. I didn’t think Elementary did so bad still knocking on the 1 million mark and 300k in the first week is not so bad, as long as it doesn’t loose the same amount next week, then they can start to worry.

  6. Good to see Downton return to great numbers. Having seen this season already it only gets better and better and there is some big twists and turns. Great season and i expect the numbers to build over the course of the season due to what lies ahead.

    Not surprised Border and The Force did well either. These are the original factuals from way back when and people still love them.

    Masterchef still proves its a winner but TEN have to keep it away from MKR somehow. They can’t run it once a week but i suppose this is what happens when there is way too much reality. I wish Seven didn’t air Castle so late. It should be on Mondays at 9:30pm behind Revenge instead of 10pm on a Sunday night. Elementary dropped 300k which for any show isn’t good week on week. TEN will be hoping it doesn’t fall much further.

  7. Quote @Ronnie: “My point is ABC programming is risk-averse and that permeates the thinking in there for conventional shows and conservative choices.”

    And beating TEN in the ratings.

    Risk-averse, conventional and conservative? Really?

    Gruen / Chris Lilley / Myles Barlow / Rake / Laid / East of Everything / Butler-Hope / Chaser / Crownies / Redfern Now / Lowdown / The Slap / The Straits / Mabo /

  8. Congrats to Shine for keeping Ten alive with MC Pro. A well made show, it truly is head and shoulders above MKR – it’s just on the wrong network.

    It’s a sad story that border security is so high.

    Bondi Rescue needs to be replaced. Yet another dog from cordell jigsaw.

    I’m surprised Downton didn’t do better, but I expect this will build.

    Let the games begin.

  9. “This indicates it still resonates for TEN.”

    Hate to be pedant, but what does this sentence actually mean?

    res·o·nate
    1.Produce or be filled with a deep, full, reverberating sound.
    2.Evoke or suggest images, memories, and emotions.

    Perhaps you mean it resonates “with viewers” rather than “for 10?”
    But then I’d hardly call MC Prof “emotional.”

  10. @ Pertinax, I think you are totally missing the point about who are illegally downloading and what they are doing. The shows you mention are liked by a slightly older audience..Homeland, NCIS etc. The stuff that is being illegally downloaded appeals directly to the 14-22 age group, if it is a ‘hot’ show they aint gonna wait to watch it. Networks are struggling to grab that very young demo and need shows like MKR etc to win them over. Direct imports from overseas are big business while we have such a strong dollar

  13. Good to see James Packer on Sunday Night which I thought strange I would have thought it would have been on Nine. Elementary great ! I like Masterchef even though I am not a regular watcher, and I have the BluRay of Downton so did not bother watching it.

  14. Most of the additional funds secured for Australian drama has been allocated and Mark Scott and Jim Speigelman are now in Canberra trying to secure the next round of triennial funding. Last night was the return of the ratings year and it would have been great to see an Australian drama leading the way. The Best Years of Our Lives is waiting for a slot (the second series of House Husbands has only just started shooting). My point is ABC programming is risk-averse and that permeates the thinking in there for conventional shows and conservative choices.

  15. @Pertinax – Totally agree. The hype over downloading and buying UK DVDs is not based on any sourced figures. It would be a larger percentage of readers of this site than it would be viewers in general, ‘though as you say, insignificant.
    @Benji77 – Didn’t see her, but I though Shirley MacLaine was great.

  16. @Pertinax, exactly, any decline in DA is more likely due to summer viewing trends, extra competition, the late timeslot, and general 3rd season fatigue. but even if the drop is because of lack of fasttracking, better to lose 200k airing it this way than 600k from fasttracking related issues, just ask every drama ten has aired in the last few years.

  17. So DA was down a little. Its the third season and can easily be purchased from Amazon in the UK, no need for illegal downloads and the older members of the family are happy to watch on DVD. Its the overseas shows that appeal to a younger demo are the ones that need to be screened swiftly, as they will not wait

  18. TV viewing hours have actually gone up over the last couple of years. How could that happen if illegal downloading has been increasing and is stopping people watching TV?

    There has been a decline in live viewing but and increase in time-shifting of dramas, which is measured by the ratings system.

    But where is the evidence for an increase in illegal downloading and a decrease in live viewers for dramas?

    There is no evidence in the public Oztam figures. Channel 7’s programmer who studies all the numbers down to what is happening for each minute sees no evidence. Channel 10 has shown no benefit from fast-tracking and has stopped doing it. They didn’t screen eps of NCIS at the end of ratings valuing continuity of episodes over delay, and held over Elementary (which launched successfully).

    Why would they do this is they could make lost more money but just fast-tracking dramas as claimed?

  19. I’ve got Elementary recorded on the PVR, I was impressed with episode 1 – Johnny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu have good onscreen chemistry.

    A little off topic, but another new series I rather like is The Dr Blake Mysteries surprisingly so, and I’m a fan of Nadine Gardiner too.

  21. @Ronnie
    What decrease in DA numbers and why would illegal downloading increase when Seven shows the episodes with months less delay?

    DA rated the same as it was in June 2012 with 1.3m. The premiere was down 200k on S2 but it is still summer. it is up against Elementary and the cricket, timeshifting is increasing and S2 wasn’t that good and lost viewers are all more likely reasons.

    DA’s audience has always skewed towards older viewers and they don’t illegally download much. And this episode was shown with months less delay than previous seasons so you can’t argue a proportional relationship, let alone causation, with illegal downloading because of delays.

    There is no sign that illegal downloading has been rising despite the unevidenced hype and still looks to be in the 10s of thousands. While timeshifting of dramas can up to be 200-300k.

    Illegal downloading is a small problem and it probably affects timeshifting more than live viewers. It is over an order of magnitude less significant than the effect of time-shifting and fragmentation in a digital multi-channel environment. And there is nothing that commercial FTA can do about it anyway.

    That overnight as live ratings are significantly altered by illegal downloading is nothing more than a post hoc ergo proper hoc fallacy with no evidence to support it. And fast-tracking on commercial FTA to stop illegal downloading is dead and buried as a programming strategy.

  22. I was one person who thought Ten would have failed with Elementary when the competition heated up with DA. However, I was wrong – great numbers and it should settle around there now as Nine only have The Mentalist at 8.30 which will become the loser in the Sunday night battle.

    Also MC success will surely mean Seven will cannabilise that show with a Sunday night edition of MKR in the near future.

  23. Great to see 10 showing signs of life. Downton Abbey’s less spectacular numbers reflect what we’ve talked about here – diehard fans have already seen it. ABC’s Sunday night programming of all British content very lame – why aren’t they commissioning Australian drama they can play on Sunday night instead of this boring line up?

  25. I’ve missed a bit of Masterchef and caught it last night. It is such a positive show as opposed to MKR which I got caught up in the last couple of weeks. There is a meanness to MKR that I really don’t like. I actually felt quite sorry for the spice girls because they were playing a role the producers expoited for ratings.

    MKR has done similar in the past to a lesser extent but all is forgiven with the great Marco Pierre. He is tough but has a real empathy.

    Oh and Modern Family was sensational.

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