• Public thirst for COVID-19 updates continues to dominate
• Nine’s winning mix: News, ACA, MAFS and News
• Survivor final four: Tarzan no longer king of the jungle
The thirst for news continues to push news audiences higher. After record Sunday viewing numbers, the audiences watching on Monday were also much higher than recent averages.
Seven News 6pm Monday 1,234,000/1,211,000
The Latest Seven News Monday 649,000
Nine News 6pm Monday 1,193,000/1,171,000
A Current Affair 890,000
Nine News Special COVID-19 570,000
Nine’s highest weekday news audience since 2017. ACA biggest 2020 audience.
10 News First 5pm 571,000
10 News First 6pm 380,000
The Project 423,000/623,000
Biggest 5pm audience since January 2018. Biggest 6pm news audience ever, Biggest Project audience since January 2018.
ABC News 7pm Monday 955,000
7.30 911,000
Q&A 563,000
SBS World News 6.30pm Monday 192,000
Breakfast TV
Sunrise 379,000
Today 314,000
News Breakfast 301,000
Today biggest audience since May 2017. Sunrise biggest audience this year, comes after biggest week since 2017.
Nine won the night as it has done since mid-January with its mix of Married At First Sight plus big audiences for News early and late and A Current Affair.
Seven went into primetime news mode with news at 6pm, 7pm and then again after the penultimate night of MKR. The home cooks went into battle around 8pm with 508,000 watching.
10 had bumper crowds to for its two and a half hours of news and current affairs from 5pm until 7.30pm. The final four was decided on day 46 of Survivor with Brooke winning her fourth immunity. “The loyal four no more” she said as her passage to the top four meant David’s alliance had to lose one of its members and Tarzan was the person sacrificed as he became the 20th person voted out. The episode did 736,000.
ABC News and 7.30 were both over 900,000 after averages over 800,000 for each last week. Q&A managed to outrate Four Corners which has possibly never happened before as Hamish Macdonald hosted an hour of COVID-19 questions with Dr Norman Swan applauded by the viewers the same day that The Australian’s Chris Kenny asked if he deserved media plaudits. Swan certainly seemed better at providing answers than the show’s other guests – Professor Sharon Lewin and Professor Paul Kelly. Although as Kenny pointed out, Swan doesn’t carry a burden of responsibility as Kelly and perhaps also Lewin do.
SBS World News had what must be close to a record Monday audience at 6.30pm with just under 200,000 watching. Follows the 200,000+ on Sunday.
