• The final four contenders were revealed on Australian Survivor
Total TV Ratings, March 13
First up was Nine’s Married at First Sight. Chaos erupted when Feedback Week began with a Partner Swap task. Harrison and his arch nemesis Melinda were challenged with moving in together and gave each other some hard truths. The episode saw a whopping 1,840,000 tune in, lifting 60%.
Lifting by a huge 40% rise was 10’s Australian Survivor, with 940,000 watching the tense Tribal Council that saw fake alliances and broken promises. Nina and Gerry were sent to isolation, where they cooked up a coup against King George!
Seven’s Australian Idol came in next, with 804,000 seeing Angelina Curtis,15, eliminated from the competition alongside contestant Noora H, 27. The judges were gobsmacked by the latter’s exit from the show and begged everyone to vote, up 18%.
Overnight TV Ratings, March 20
Primetime News
Seven News 913,000 (6:00pm) / 908,000 (6:30pm)
Nine News 752,000 (6:00pm) / 752,000 (6:30pm)
ABC News 562,000
10 News First 229,000 (5:00pm)/ 136,000 (6:00pm)
SBS World News 119,000 (6:30pm)/ 94,000 (7:00pm)
Daily Current Affairs
A Current Affair 700,000
7.30 458,000
The Project 171,000 6:30pm / 291,000 7pm
Breakfast TV
Sunrise 223,000
Today 197,000
News Breakfast 147,000
Once again, Nine has won the night with a primary share of 25.2% and a network share of 32.1%. 7Two has won multichannels with a 3.9% share.
700,000 tuned in to Nine’s A Current Affair which investigated a family left scrambling for their lives, when in just a few minutes, their home was reduced to charred ashes before taking a look at AFL fan Kerstin Black, whose boozy night and rude gesture landed the mad Magpie with a five year ban from the sport. Then, 843,000 watched Married at First Sight. The episode marked the beginning of Homestay Week, as Lyndall visited Cameron’s Darwin home. The pair were having a lovely time until Cameron rejected a kiss from is TV wife and Alyssa and Duncan were left sitting silently on opposite ends of a boat on Sydney Harbour after yet another argument.
491,000 began their evening in Summer Bay with Seven’s Home and Away as Justin went into protective father mode. Theo made a desperate play to get a hold of Ava and John turned his ire on Mali. Then on Seven’s Australian Idol, the Top Six became the Top Three as judges’ favourite Amali Diamond, rocker Ben Sheehy and Anya Hynninen were eliminated from the competition. 439,000 watched as 23-year-old Royston Sagigi-Baira, 15-year-old Phoebe Stewart, and 20-year-old Josh Hannan were given Top Three status, with the Australian Idol winner to be crowned at the live Grand Finale on Sunday, March 26.
On 10, The Project (171,000 6:30pm / 291,000 7pm) welcomed Australian Survivor’s Simon via video link. Simon became the first contestant in the show’s history to mistake a wooden cookie for an immunity idol. What a “stitch-up”! The show also investigated the dads who are facing increased discrimination in the workplace by choosing to spend more time with their kids. Then, on Australian Survivor, 505,000 watched the final four come to fruition. George, Gerry, Liz and Matt became the final contestants in the running to become Sole Survivor for 2023.
458,000 watched ABC’s 7.30 explore Australia’s involvement in a NASA moon landing and a former AFL doctor spoke about player concussion. Sarah Ferguson also interviewed Russia’s ambassador to Australia before 391,000 tuned in for Australian Story. Following on from last week with a second part, the series went behind the scenes of Jaws and inside Valerie Taylor’s campaign to save the grey nurse shark. Still diving at 87, she has inspired a new generation of marine warriors.
The highest rating non-news show on SBS was Britain by Beach, with this episode set in Cornwall. 109,000 explored the county renowned for its 676km of glorious coastline. Anita uncovered the hidden story of Victorian engineering, literally buried under the golden sand at the stunning Porthcurno Beach — a spot that remains central to Britain’s global communications.
