• Seven’s Big Brother nudges out MasterChef and Ninja in 7.30 battle
• Seven’s Big Brother reveals Christina, Marley and SJ in final tonight
• Four Corners special delivery: Aust Post episode down on recent highs
Primetime News
Seven News 1,222,000/1,128,000
Nine News 1,177,000/1,095,000
ABC News 826,000
10 News First 450,000 (5:00pm)/ 288,000 (6:00pm)
SBS World News 161,000 (6:30pm) 133,000 (7:00pm)
Daily current affairs
A Current Affair 831,000
7.30 711,000
The Project 342,000 (6:30pm)/501,000 (7pm)
The Drum 202,000
Breakfast TV
Sunrise 284,000
Today 228,000
News Breakfast 205,000
Late News
ABC Late News 119,000
The Latest 118,000
Nine News Late Edition 95,000
Nine
A Current Affair started with Tracy Grimshaw introducing a report from Dimity Clancy on how Australia’s vaccine rollout went so wrong. Later in the episode Leila McKinnon reported on a brave cancer fight from Sandra Brant, the sister of former Hi-5 member Laura. Shortly before she died, Sandra was a bridesmaid at the wedding of her sister to former AFL footballer Barry Hall. The Monday episode was on a recent high of 831,000 after an average crowd of 715,000 across Week 26.
It was already the final heat of season five of Australian Ninja Warrior with the last chance for Ninja’s who had their sights on a place in the semi finals. After week one of the 2021 season boasted a launch audience of 801,000 and then subsequent episodes close to 600,000, the first night of its second week was on 617,000.
A 2021 episode of Emergency then did 335,000.
The day after Origin 2 and 100% Footy was on 78,000. In AFL markets the Hutchy-hosted Monday episode of Footy Classified was on 122,000.
On Gem, the first day of Wimbledon had an audience of 88,000.
Seven
Seven News ranked #1 around the network with over 1.2m after 6pm.
Home and Away followed with the Seven soap on 642,000 to start the week. Halfway through the year, Home and Away averaged 603,000 last week.
Episode 30 and the penultimate instalment of Big Brother, with Seven revealing the final three who made it through to what they are promising will be an epic live Grand Final. After 63 days and 26 housemates, Ari, Christina, Marley and SJ celebrated making the final four with a champagne breakfast and video calls from home. Marley then had to decide which two housemates to take to the Big Brother Grand Final and who to send home, torn between using his head and evicting strategically, or going with his heart and staying true to the person he’d been the whole game. In the end, Marley voted with his heart, saving SJ and Christina and evicting Ari, who walked out of the ceremony without saying goodbye. The audience was on 667,000. Monday last week was on 613,000.
The US action dramas followed with 9-1-1: Lone Star on 321,000 and then S.W.A.T. on 183,000.
10
The Project started with three blokes at the desk in the Melbourne studio – Waleed Aly, Peter Helliar and Steve Price. With Carrie Bickmore taking a break that coincides with radio holidays, Lisa Wilkinson was also on duty. But because of the closure of state borders associated with the Sydney lockdown, she was hosting out of a 10 studio in the harbour city. A guest in the second half in the Melbourne studio was Alan Cumming, fresh from his Saturday one man show which ended the Adelaide Festival. The show had a good night, cracking half a million after 7pm.
MasterChef was holding a team challenge at Uluru with 25 diners and the Field of Light show. The yellow team managed a victory ahead of an elimination challenge tonight at another photo op destination in the Northern Territory. The Monday audience was 640,000 after 631,000 a week ago.
Ed Kavalee was having a night off from Have You Been Paying Attention? Joining Sam Pang on the episode were Glenn Robbins, Celia Pacquola, Anne Edmonds and Tim McDonald. After 727,000 a week ago, last night dropped to 659,000.
ABC
7.30 was hosted by Canberra reporter Laura Tingle and featured Monday regular Dr Norman Swan reminding people Covid isn’t going anywhere just yet. Later in the show Tingle interviewed Treasurer Josh Frydenberg. The audience of 711,000 came after an average last week of 581,000.
The Prime Minister started a press conference after a meeting of the national cabinet halfway through 7.30, but it didn’t get a mention until the end of the show. Viewers to the ABC News channel would have seen it.
Courtney Act is the latest host of interview series One Plus One which has taken over the Australian Story slot for a few weeks. An interview with Veronica Lisa Origliasso attracted 372,000 last night, making the top 20.
Episode 20 of Four Corners for 2021 was something of a milestone with reporter and host Michael Brissenden presenting his final story after 35 years with the ABC. That final story looked at Australia Post and the controversy surrounding former CEO Christine Holgate. Brissenden was on the job promoting the episode yesterday which helped secure an audience of 471,000. That is close to the recent average, but the numbers have bounced around in recent weeks from over 700,000 to under 400,000.
Media Watch followed with 490,000 seeing items about the NSW lockdown and the closure of Hong Kong’s Apple Daily.
The third episode of the UK real crime doco Murder 24/7 then did 172,000.
SBS
A repeat episode of the second season of Secrets of the Tower of London was on 151,000.
Stage 3 of the 2021 Tour de France coverage started at 8.30pm with 138,000.