• The Voice rides Olympics coverage to huge opening night
• The Block down year on year in a tough opening salvo
• Survivor has best Sunday night of the year despite stiff competition
Primetime News
Seven News 1,520,000
Nine News 1,079,000
ABC News 705,000
10 News First 378,000 (5:00pm)/ 271,000 (6:00pm)
SBS World News 195,000 (6:30pm) 160,000 (7:00pm)
Daily current affairs
Insiders 492,000
The Project 279,000 (6:30 pm)/421,000 (7pm)
Breakfast TV
Sunrise 377,000
Today 261,000
News Breakfast 297,000
Seven
Seven had another comfortable win across the board to bring the Olympics coverage to an end with the #1 primary channel (38.1%), network (43.7%), and multichannel (2.8%) last night.
The AFL had a bit more clean air for its Sunday afternoon fixture with less Olympics coverage, with 477,000 tuning in, which is a three week high.
With the Olympics wrapping up, Seven launched its latest 7:30pm franchise, The Voice. This is the first year that the show has aired on Seven after originally airing for nine seasons on Channel Nine, and featured the return of former host Sonia Kruger. The launch episode had a huge audience of 1.329m which was up on last year’s launch on Nine which had 1.012m.
The new streamlined version of The Voice promised all-killer, no-filler and kicked off with a performance by the show’s judges Keith Urban, Rita Ora, Guy Sebastian and Jessica Mauboy with Tones and I’s smash hit Fly Away.
Taking to The Voice stage on night one were Bella Taylor Smith, Sofia Watt, Olivia Vasquez, Drew Walker, Byron Garn, Darren Constable and Joey Chan.
Seven Network director of programming, Angus Ross, said: “We’re very happy see the all-new The Voice hit the right note with viewers on its new home. It’s an incredible season full of star power and we’re looking forward to Australia meeting the next wave of homegrown artists ready to take on the world.
“Last night’s numbers on Seven and 7plus exceeded our expectations, proving Seven has plenty more of what the nation wants after the Tokyo Olympics – high-quality, engaging content available wherever they wish to see it.”
Seven News was justifiably full of Olympic highlights and told viewers about its TV ratings achievements. Viewers even got to see a rare appearance from Seven head of sport Lewis Martin talking on his Tokyo 2020 hosting set.
The voice in the lead up to the Olympic Closing Ceremony, Seven cleverly used Johanna Griggs to interview a panel of sports stars about their Olympic highlights. One common denominator was they are all starring soon in sports coming to Seven.
Despite a hammering in The Sunday Telegraph, Tokyo 2020 evening anchor Hamish McLachlan was in fine form co-hosting the Closing Ceremony with Seven colleague Johanna Griggs and Kumi Taguchi on loan again from SBS after her role on the Opening Ceremony just over two weeks ago.
The closing ceremony brought in a robust 1.291m viewers with 1.245m watching the countdown to the closing ceremony as well.
Nine
On Nine, the NRL had an audience of 231,000 as the Gold Coast Titans defeated the North Queensland Cowboys 36-14.
The Block kicked off its news season with an audience of 747,000, as the new teams began life in the cul-de-sac in Hampton, Victoria. This was down on last year’s launch episode of 947,000.
The team’s first challenge was to create a bedroom, with the winner getting the chance to decide which house that they are going to renovate. Kirsty and Jesse won, although the judges were not overly impressed with any entries.
The returning teams of Ronnie and Georgia and Mitch and Mark did not appear in the episode but the ominous roar of a Ford Mustang was heard at the end of the episode, perhaps a harbringer of what is to come.
60 Minutes had 452,000 as Tara Brown reported on innovator turned fraudster Elizabeth Holmes who faces 20 years in prison for putting lives at risk with her fraudulent claims.
10
The Sunday Project had 325,000 (6:30pm) and 404,000 (7pm) as the show discussed if New South Wales is giving up on suppressing the Delta strain of Covid-19.
Australian Survivor had its largest Sunday night audience this year with 609,000 viewers, an improvement on last weeks 568,000.
The episode featured a last-ditch effort from Laura, Racheal and Georgia to convince Kez to side with them but the request was ultimately denied as she stuck with Emmet and the Brawn alliance.
ABC
Joanna Lumley’s Britain included a visit to the Aston Martin factory where they are making 25 authentic reproductions of the DB5 made famous by the James Bond movies. At the price £2m+ each!
She then continued north across England to Manchester where she visited the set of Coronation Street. Lumley featured in the series 47 years ago. The first episode drew an audience of 512,000 and is as close as a trip to the UK most of us will manage for the foreseeable future.
The UK drama Innocent followed with the final of the second series with 242,000 viewers.
SBS
The top rating non-news show on SBS last night was a repeat of Volcanoes: Dual Destruction with 177,000 viewers.
