Seven wins 2022 ratings year

• Seven wins Total People
• Nine wins Demos
• ABC pushes 10 into fourth place
• AFL Grand Final tops survey year

Seven has won the 2022 ratings year, eclipsing Nine in Total People in metro markets for the Survey Year.

Live Sport, News and Reality TV continue to drive overnight primetime, while scripted content performs well with Timeshifting.

The AFL Grand Final was the top programme of survey while The Block: Winner Announced was the top non-sports title.

10 finished in fourth place for the year behind ABC, with SBS in fifth place. Nine, ABC and SBS all improved share compared to 2021.

Nine led the demos 16 – 39 and 25 – 54.

Numbers supplied this year from Seven, Nine and 10 (which did not include any shares) landed two days before survey finished on Saturday, in which SBS won the night. However, it’s unlikely a single night would alter the outcome. For clarity, they also included two weeks of Commonwealth Games.

This year’s survey was also buffeted by 3 months of NSW “spill” in which Seven and Nine numbers were erroneously tallied by Nielsen, which has been progressively rectified by OzTAM.

There is also some contention around a shifting of the goalposts, which you can read more about here. With networks not seeing eye to eye, some things never change in TV.

Survey Year *

Network:
Seven: 29.0
Nine: 28.6
ABC: 17.1
10: 16.4
SBS: 8.9

Demos:

16 – 39
Nine: 30.4
Seven: 28.7
10: 22.1
ABC: 12.5
SBS: 6.3

25-54
Nine: 30.8
Seven: 27.8
10: 22.0
ABC: 12.4
SBS: 7.0

* Source: Linear share. OzTAM Metro 5 City, Ratings Survey Year, 6 February – 24 November 2022, excluding Easter 10/4/2022 – 23/4/2022, 18:00 – 23:59, Network Nine, Network Seven, Network 10, ABC Network, SBS Network, Key Demos + Total People, FTA Share, Consolidated 28 as at 24 November 2022.

Primary channel:
Nine: 20.6
Seven: 20.3
ABC: 11.9
10: 10.7
SBS: 5.0

Source: Linear share. OzTAM Metro 5 City, Ratings Survey Year, 6 February – 24 November 2022, excluding Easter 10/4/2022 – 23/4/2022, 18:00 – 23:59, Nine Primary, Seven Primary, 10 Primary, ABC Primary, SBS Primary, Key Demos + Total People, FTA Share, Consolidated 28 as at 25 November 2022

Seven:

• Wins Total People.
• 21 wins of 40 survey weeks
• AFL Grand Final #1 in survey
  
• 7plus up 16% year on year
• 7TWO leads multichannels
• Hits: Seven News, AFL, Sunrise, Queen’s Funeral, Shane Warne Memorial, The Voice, Bathurst 1000, Platinum Party at the Palace.

Seven West Media Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, James Warburton, said: “Seven is Australia’s most-watched TV network, delivering unrivalled audiences in 2022 to win the survey year both nationally and in the capital cities. We are #1 nationally, #1 metro, #1 regionally, #1 in total television – no matter how you cut it.

“Seven has once again shown consistent leadership across the year, winning 29 out of 40 weeks nationally, and 21 weeks in the capital cities – more than any of our competitors.

“We are also #1 nationally in the key younger 16 to 39 demo and less than half a point from #1 in 25 to 54s. We are #1 in total people and in all key demos among regional markets.

“Seven has now won 14 of the past 16 years and our continued leadership and momentum in 2022 has proved that no other network has the unique and powerful mix of sport that grips the nation, the biggest entertainment shows and hugely popular news content that brings Australia together,” he said.

“7plus has also delivered outstanding audience numbers, streaming more than 10.6 billion minutes of content so far this year. The platform reaches over four million active and consented users a month and in 2022, it increased  its total live and on-demand streaming by 16% year-on-year.

“With COVID no longer impacting our schedule, we can finally deliver the massive new shows we’ve been promising, including Australian Idol, Million Dollar Island and all our returning hit shows. Coupled with our investments in the AFL and must-watch content from our new agreement with NBCUniversal, we are building and will only get stronger in total television. We’ve taken the ratings crown in 2022 with one less multichannel than the competition, so with the addition of 7Bravo to our family of channels on 15 January next year, 2023 is set for growth,” Mr Warburton said.

Seven’s Chief Content Officer, Entertainment Programming, Angus Ross, said: “Our successful schedule in 2022 has created momentum that will continue into next year with an unbeatable content line-up of the best news, sport, drama, entertainment and special events that will inform, engage and entertain the nation.

“The powerful line-up coming to Seven and 7plus in 2023 includes the new shows Australian Idol, Million Dollar Island, Blow Up, The Claremont Murders, The 1% Club, We Interrupt This Broadcast, the TV Week Logie Awards and the highly anticipated FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023.

“The new shows for 2023 will join an unmatchable content schedule that already stars Australia’s #1 sport in the AFL, 7NEWS, Sunrise, 7NEWS Spotlight, Home and Away, The Chase Australia, The Voice, Farmer Wants A Wife, RFDS, SAS Australia, My Kitchen Rules, Big Brother, horse racing, cricket, Supercars and much, much more,” he said.

“On 15 January 2023, we will also reveal the most exciting new channel launched in Australia in years, 7Bravo, bringing the very best of NBCUniversal’s extraordinary reality and true crime content to all Australians, live and free. The arrival of 7Bravo means that our dominant line-up of multichannels will become even stronger.”

Nine:

• Wins Demos 16-39 and 25-54.
• Leads in primary channels
• No.1 commercial free-to-air BVOD platform 
• The Block: Winner Announced  highest rating non-sports program of the year.
• Hits: Married at First Sight, The Block, Lego Masters, Underbelly: Vanishing Act, State of Origin, NRL Grand Final, Logie Awards, A Current Affair.

Michael Healy, Nine’s Director of Television, said: “I’m so incredibly proud of the efforts of everyone in the broader Nine family. Their tireless work and boundless creativity have once again cemented our dominance across digital and linear viewing. Throughout 2022, night in, night out, our programs have consistently won the key demographics while dominating water-cooler conversations across the country. And 9Now has completely owned the commercial free-to-air BVOD space with 50% share of the market. As always, I’d also like to thank our production partners who have helped to deliver content that engages, informs and entertains.” 

Michael Stephenson, Nine’s Chief Sales Officer, said: “It doesn’t matter how you want to look at it or how you want to cut the numbers, for the fourth year in a row, Nine is the undisputed leader. Number 1 16-39, number 1 25-54, number 1 Grocery Shopper with Child and number 1 in BVOD. We’ve got the biggest formats. We dominate from the beginning of the year until the end of the year. We’ve got the most consistent schedule, available across every screen. And next year is going to be even bigger.” 

10:

• No. #1 new show: Hunted
• 10Play’s biggest year ever, up 6% year-on-year.
• Hits: Hunted, Have You Been Paying Attention?, MasterChef Australia, Australian Survivor, Melbourne Cup, Neighbours finale.

Daniel Monaghan, SVP Content and Programming, Paramount ANZ, said: “Network 10’s strength in under 50s and key age groups has again secured us more of the top 15 entertainment shows in under 50s, 25 to 54s and 16 to 39s than any other commercial network.

“10 Play has had its biggest year yet, growing 6% on 2021, and its catalogue is constantly expanding with a flowing pipeline of premium and exclusive content.

“In 2023, we’ll be ringing in the year with a new era of The Bachelors, like you’ve never seen it before. Returning to the South African jungle and to a new date in the calendar, Chris and Julia will host a fresh bunch of celebs in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!.

“For main course, MasterChef Australia will once again cook up a storm followed by sweets with Dessert Masters premiering in 2023. Once The Dog House Australia convinces you to adopt a dog, Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly Australia’s Graeme Hall, will help you train your new canine compadre. Also new in 2023 is the highly anticipated Location, Location, Location, ready to turn dream homes into reality.

“The Project – the youngest news and current affairs show on TV – will return in 2023 with Sarah Harris joining Waleed Aly at the helm, marking the beginning of a wonderful new era for the show.10 News First, with its team of award-winning journalists and nationally established presenters, reaches three million Australians every week and its live stream and off-network news presence continues to grow.

“From the Australian MotoGP and the Formula One Australian Grand Prix to the Melbourne Cup Carnival, 10 will deliver big and memorable sporting moments in 2023. Plus, 10 Bold will continue to kick goals with the Isuzu UTE A-League matches, while every match of the Liberty A-League season is live and free on 10 Play, and 10 Peach is home to NBL games every Sunday.”

2022’s biggest shows

1. AFL Grand Final Seven 2.977m
2. State of Origin II Nine 2.632m
3. State of Origin III Nine 2.61m
4. State of Origin I Nine 2.529m
5. The Block: Winner Announced Nine 2.506m
6. AFL Grand Final: Presentations Seven 2.444m
7. NRL Grand Final Nine 2.37m
8. AFL Grand Final: On the Ground Seven 2.274m
9. The Block: Grand Final Nine 2.054m
10. Bluey ABC 1.989m
11. NRL Grand Final: Presentation Nine 1.906m
12. Married at First Sight: finale Nine 1.818m
13. Married at First Sight: final dinner party Nine 1.714m

Source: The Age. Linear viewing only. OzTAM Metro and Regional TAM 28-day figures combined, survey year as at Nov 22, 2022.