The Men’s Final of the Australian Open should have been played last night. With the tennis delayed until next week, Nine had to find replacements. Nine and Endemol Shine Australia created a reunion episode of Married at First Sight and it rated well and pushed Nine to a Sunday ratings win. The MAFS special did 866,000 and got plenty of help from Nine News and New News: Late Edition. Also performing well for Nine was the return of 60 Minutes. The current affairs show was called ‘The devil wears Dior’ with reporter Tom Steinfort on duty in Sydney’s eastern suburbs investigating the disappearance of Melissa Caddick. Steinfort was helped about by the NSW police and former detective Gary Jubelin who strolled around The Gap with the reporter explaining he was ruling out suicide and murder, working on the theory she was on the run. 60 Minutes was on 701,000.
Nine’s primary share of 24.5% and the network share of 32.6% were the highest for any network so far this year.
10 was competitive with the Grand Finale of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! drawing a crowd of 896,000 for the announcement of Abbie Chatfield as the winner and 784,000 for the start of the live final from Sydney. In 2020 the Winner Announcement was on 887,000 and the Finale did 810,000. 10 noted this morning the 2021 finale has delivered the highest commercial shares ever and the biggest final night shares ever for the format. The episode was also the most-streamed Celebrity episode ever.
Chief Content Officer and Executive Vice President, ViacomCBS Australia and New Zealand Beverley McGarvey said: “The unbridled success of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! reiterated that the landscape of summer viewing has changed forever.
“Its dominance across all platforms, in its timeslot in total people, under 50s and in all key demographics, night after night proved unrivalled. Achieving its highest ever commercial shares and achieving its biggest total audience since 2017, it cemented itself as the #1 summer entertainment television event.
“It has been wonderful to see how viewers reacted and engaged with our celebrities. It provided much needed laughter, warmth and family fun in these tougher times. It was escapism at its best.”
Chief Sales Officer, ViacomCBS Australia and New Zealand Rod Prosser added: “I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! has proved, yet again, that it is a lucrative summer entertainment alternative for brands and advertisers.
“No other show can deliver the scale and creativity of integration that I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! has delivered this season. It is one of the most malleable formats on Australian television for sponsors to work with devoid of the constraints associated with some sporting codes.”
10 also did well with the Sunday edition of The Project recording one of its biggest audiences – 502,000 – after 7pm.
In the Big Bash League on Seven it was The Knockout last night with Sydney Thunder going down to Brisbane Heat who got the runs without contributions from its biggest stars. The first session was on 488,000 and the second did 496,000. The next final is on Thursday night this week ahead of the final on Saturday.
