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X Factor tops Sunday but GEM gives Nine the win

Ratings: Seven's talent show was #1 on Sunday but the Ashes delivered Nine an unbeatable network share.

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2013-08-05_1018Seven’s X Factor sang out another 1.55m viewers to top Sunday night viewing, but the Ashes (571,000 / 391,000) stumped up with another big share for GEM (9.8%) giving Nine a big lead over its rival at the top of the week.

Nine network share was 37.1% then Seven 29.1, ABC 15.3, TEN 14.5 and SBS 3.9.

Following The X Factor (1.55m) for Seven were Seven News (1.35m), Anh Does Britain 2 (954,000), Bones (756,000) and Castle (583,000 / 349,000).

60 Minutes was best for Nine at 1.49m viewers then Nine News (1.42m), Domestic Blitz (1.36m), a belated Underbelly: Squizzy (859,000) and The Mentalist (383,000).

Here’s a first, Dream Build (1.00m) topped ABC1 for the night. Grand Designs Revisited (853,000) was next then ABC News (851,000), The Time of our Lives (734,000), Compass (450,000), First Footprints (331,000) and South Pacific (243,000).

MasterChef clung to 705,000 with guest Heston Blumenthal for TEN followed by Ripper Street (515,000), Modern Family (472,000 / 453,000), TEN News (452,000), The Simpsons (402,000), and The Graham Norton Show (269,000).

The Valley of the Kings (282,000) led SBS ONE then World News Australia (191,000), The Observer Effect (90,000) and a Better Man repeat disappointed with just 57,000.

Insiders: 188,000 / 102,000 / 46,000
The Bolt Report: 122,000 / 114,000

OzTAM Overnights: Sunday 4 August 2013

31 Responses

  2. re Nik.C
    During the blitz show on Sunday night 9 advertised Domestic Blitz starting on Gem soon. They didn’t say whether they would be new episodes

  3. @Pertinax, The Moops, etc – I understand the Underbelly argument, but Underbelly never spent three hours trying to manipulate you into feeling sympathetic emotions for their characters, like Better Man did. No-one was ever expected to shed a tear for Carl Williams or Mr Asia.

    At the end of the day the Australian audience said, “hmm, a melodrama about an Asian guy convicted of being a drug mule…meh.”

  4. Gee ten aren’t doing well on a sunday. Modern family repeats need to go! I’ve seen that Halloween ep 3 times already! This week live should be moved to 9.30 sundays since its the end of the week.

  6. @JimboJones, I get what you’re saying, I am one of those Aussies that have an intense, visceral hatred of anything to do with drugs. However, I don’t think your explanation holds a lot of water. The first Underbelly about Karl Williams and the second one recounting the life of heroin dealer Mr Asia both rated through the roof. Going back further, the Barlow and Chambers mini-series starring John Polson (from years ago) rated well, as did Nicole Kidman’s Bangkok Hilton. Sorry to shoot your theory down in flames.I think Better Man didn’t rate well because it was on SBS. Had it been on Nine or Seven, I bet it would have done very well. They would have promoted it as a TV event, Seven does that sort of promotion brilliantly.

  8. Will 9 consider returning Domestic Blitz?
    It doesn’t have to be a huge renovation each week, but people like to see this style of show. It rates well, just scale it back if budget constraints are an issue!

  9. Dream build aired in Qld!
    It is strange how many shows are not firing on Sundays! Was quite competitive and now viewers are not tuning in!
    Wish TOOL launched after Place to call home and HH, coz viewers that like dramas might have enjoyed it. Seems Bones fans have gone elsewhere tired of interrupted seasons and Squizzy has lost its appeal!

  10. @JimboJones – I think that explanation is a little simplistic and I’d be interested in what studies you’re citing when you state that “[M]ost Australians have an intense, visceral dislike of anything to do with hard drugs”. I think the fact that the main character was a real-life convicted drug trafficker would have a lot more bearing on people’s disposition toward the program. Also that we already knew the story and how it was going to end – not exactly pleasant television.

    However, I think the biggest factor was that it was on SBS. Plenty of people just don’t seem to be aware of its existence and a number have said that they would’ve watched if they’d known that it was on.

  11. David would you be able to let me know what the figures for Nine’s Financial Review Sunday are against Bolt Report. I would really appreciate it.

    Deb Knight seems to be doing a great job but they need to axe Joe’s Aston’s Rear Window segment. He is from the Joe Hildebrand/Mark Riley school of “I am am so funny” school of reporters.

  12. I wanted to watch Underbelly Squizzy last night to check it out after hearing David saying the main actor shone strongly in the lead role, but it didn’t start until 9:30pm. Has an Underbelly series ever been aired that late before? Usually they are given the 8:30 Sunday or 8:30 Monday timeslot.

    Because of 60 minutes and that Domestic Blitz crap it didn’t end up airing until 9:30 in QLD, which meant it didn’t finish until around 10:45pm. I enjoyed it but won’t wait that late for it every week

  14. Nine programming is hurting Underbelly, look at next week, 9pm start time again because of AGT pushing 60 minutes to 8pm. In a perfect world they will start on time, but in reality they will be delay, Underbelly will probably start sometime between 9.15-9.30pm. AGT will likely go over by 10-15 minutes while 60minutes always now goes over by around 10minutes, Nine should rebrand it 70minutes!!!

  15. Starting at 9.15pm didn’t help Underbelly. I can’t see its ratings improving because, IMO, it’s not very good.(the worst of the series to date.)

  17. Disappointing result for the 3 big 8.30 dramas last night. Big drop for Squizzy, why would you subject local drama to odd starting times? Disappointing numbers for Bones, I think it would do better on Thursdays but some promotion would also help. And Ripper Street has misfired after launching against The Block finale last week.

  18. The second episode of Underbelly (called episode 1) only got 1.15m last week, so it’s only down 300k. And last weeks figures were distorted by The Block overunning.

    Given the usually drop off after heavily promoted premiere and the last timeslot not unexpected.

    Ten is only getting viewers when there is nothing on the three main networks.

  19. @JimboJones Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities broke ratings records with strong drug themes in every episode, and was promoted that way too.

    The reason Better Man didn’t perform was sadly because it was on SBS. Australia’s loss what a powerful final scene.

  21. Ripper Street is bombing on Ten. It is suffering from other top rating shows on the other networks not finishing on or near to time, so people are not ready to switch to Ten. What’s with Sixty Minutes not finshing to 9.15?? Getting later every week.

  22. I’ve commented on Better Man in previous posts, but it’s worthwhile looking at why it fared so badly, rather than just thinking, “I can’t understand why such a good show failed, viewers have no taste, etc.”

    Most Australians have an intense, visceral dislike of anything to do with hard drugs. This is one of the main reasons why so many Australian movies fail at the box office. So many Aussie movies either involve drug-taking losers or have a ‘heroin chic’ subplot. Notice how these movies always, without exception, fail at the box office?

    I could write you a 100 page explanation of the psychology behind this phenomenon, but I’ll spare you (gotta watch that 900 char limit).

    Also, the first episode was a lot worse (lame dialogue, padding, pedestrian direction, one dimensional characters, etc) than the second, so that undoubtedly put some viewers off.

  23. In at least the eastern states ABC News was fourty minutes, explaining why dream builds rated highly even though it didn’t screen. Grand Designs started at 7:40 as scheduled.

    Hige drop for Umderbelly from last week.

    1. Aha thanks for Dream Build explanation…

      UB drop: There’s a lot to consider. Last week’s numbers were bloated by The Block auction (including coding as 2 eps). This week it didn’t start until 9:15. So it’s not really an equal comparison yet.

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