Crikey

Seven cuts Forensic Investigators. The Seven Network is finessing its 2007 line up and one of the casualties is the well-regarded local police procedural doco program, Forensic Investigators. It was one of the earlier programs Seven chose to start its comeback in late 2004 and into 2005. It had been a pilot at Nine but had been rejected by programmers led by Michael Healy and management. Seven says that FI won’t be going to air this year because it’s been decided to give it a rest. The program first aired on Thursday nights and then last year on Wednesdays at either 8.30 or 9.30pm. It was hosted by actor Lisa McCune who is quite busy this year and will feature in the Nine Network series, Sea Patrol. FI averaged around 800,000 to just over 1.1 million viewers, depending what it was up against. It was a real life CSI program made here in Australia about real crimes, not the invention of scriptwriters. Nine is currently airing a program called True CSI on Sunday nights after CSI and CSI Miami. It averages around 700,000 or so viewers, depending on the audience for the fictional program ahead of it. And that’s the irony: the real story is never as popular as the fiction. It is not known when FI will return, if ever.  — Glenn Dyer

Last night’s TV ratings
The Winners: Good night for Seven, after all it was Tuesday and Dancing With The Stars was on and doing very well. But it was also a good night for Ten, it just failed to beat Nine in the all people battle but tied with Nine in the commercial share battle from 6 to 10.30pm. Its best performance of the ratings year so far. So therefore it was a bad night for Nine as viewers rejected its mixture of repeats and stale programming. Dancing jumped to 1.866 million (with Naomi Robson the one to go. A pity). All Saints at 9.30pm did well, 1.357 million. Seven News was third with 1.338 million. The Biggest Loser at 7pm on Ten was 4th with 1.177 million, A Current Affair with 1.175 million beat Today Tonight on Seven in the 6.30pm timeslot with 1.166 million, by 9,000. A big turnaround from Monday night. Nine News was 7th with 1.148 million, the repeat of 20 to 1 at 7.30pm on Nine averaged 1.119 million. Ten’s NCIS was 10th with 1.118 million. Seven’s Home And Away (1.111 million) was a distant second at 7pm to TBL; the new Simpsons on Ten averaged 1.097 million, the repeat, 1.063 million and the 7 pm ABC News averaged 1.058 million. Ten’s Numb3rs returned with 944,000 at 9.30pm, Nine’s repeat of CSI at 8.30pm averaged an average 920,000, Amazing Medical Stories at 9.30pm averaged 786,000 for Nine. Not All Tea And Scones on the ABC at 8pm, 716,000 and deserved more.

The Losers: Nine’s schedule last night from 7pm onwards. It was a tale of running third, second and then third. Nine’s audience peaked with the 1.175 million for ACA.

News & CA: Seven News won nationally by 190,000. It won everywhere bar Melbourne. Today Tonight lost to ACA by 9,000 but it won by 80,000 in Perth. TT won Adelaide and Perth, lost Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. The ABC News’ solid figures sort of helped The 7.30 Report average 800,000 people in the face of Dancing on Seven. Lateline averaged 198,000, Lateline Business 88,000. Ten News averaged a solid 866,000, the Late News/Sports Tonight at 10.30pm 470,000, Nightline on Nine averaged 255,000 at 11.35pm. SBS News 6.30pm and 9.30 bulletins averaged 171,000. Insight, 194,000, which was SBS’s most popular program on the night. 7am Sunrise 402,000, 7am Today 227,000, 6am Sunrise 254,000, 6am Today 113,000. The Catch-Up, 120,000; its low point yesterday. it won’t last at this rate: the crosses to a Woman’s Day reporter, the cross to the Nine Newsroom, lower screen crawl with old weather (morning showers at 1.30pm?) and ads for ACP magazines and other cross promotional ‘bright ideas” makes the whole package unattractive and a bit cheap.

The Stats: Seven won by almost 12 points with a share of 35.3% (35.0%) to Nine with a share of 23.5% (24.2%) and Ten third with 23.3% (22.8%). The ABC was on 13.6% (13.9%) and SBS was on 4.4%(4.2%). Nine and Ten tied for second in the 6pm to 10.30pm commercial share battle with 28.2% behind Seven with 43.6%. On the 6pm to midnight basis, Seven leads the week 31.8% to 26.5%. Seven won all five metro markets, Ten beat Nine in Melbourne and Perth for second place. In regional areas a win to Seven with Prime/7Qld getting a 34.0% share from WIN/NBN for Nine with 25.4%. Southern Cross was third for Ten with 23.0%, the ABC was on 13.2% and SBS on 4.3%.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: The win by ACA over TT is a lesson to Seven and the program about being diverted from your task and boring the viewers witless.The spats over the Corby family have now reached an absurd situation and its all the fault of Seven and TT. Viewers know a crock of sh — and they have spotted it in this one. The loss by TT last night was the only blot for the network on a very strong night of programming performance. There was a turnoff of around 170K from the News to TT. Even though there was no Corby story last night.TT’s audience came back to the low level that ACA has been at all year, ACA’s audience didn’t bounce. It was a positive act by a lot of viewers to turn from Seven News to something else, but not ACA. That’s a big negative for Nine and ACA. That’s why the viewer reaction between 6pm and 7pm will be watched closely at Seven and Nine. Tonight its Nine with McLeod’s Daughters, will last week’s bounce continue? Cold Case at 8.30pm and then Without A Trace at 9.30 and Extreme Makeover at 10.30pm. Seven has Serious Crash Unit and Police Files between 7.30 and 8.30pm, then Heroes, then Prison Break (On The Run) and then 24. Ten has TBL, Con Test, House and Medium. The ABC has The New Inventors, Spicks and Specks and Extras.