Cyclone news draws big TV audiences

Tim Burrowes

February 4, 2011 11:08

Ten’s The Biggest Loser was the only entertainment show to deliver an audience of more than a million last night as TV viewers opted for news of Cyclone Yasi.

Seven and Nine’s breakfast programming had huge viewer numbers with Seven’s Sunrise averaging 732,000 and Nine’s Today attracting 516,000. Yesterday saw TV3 in NZ drop normal programming to carry Sunrise’s extended coverage of the aftermath of the cyclone.

The Biggest Loser rated 1.326m for Ten, according to preliminary overnight ratings from OzTam.

Seven News did 1.26m while Nine News attracted 1.107m. Ten’s 6PM With George Negus pulled in 398,000 with the following 6.30pm news bulletin falling away to 362,000.

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Tim Burrowes

Tim Burrowes is the publisher of Mumbrella and Unmade. He co-founded Mumbrella in 2008 and sister title Unmade in 2021. He's worked in the UK, Middle East, Asia & Australia and has specialised in writing about the communications world for the last 25 years. He wrote the book Media Unmade, published in 2021, and became the presenter of MediaLand on ABC Radio National in 2025.

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4 COMMENTS

Anon 4 Feb 11

The whole thing was a category 5 dissapointment

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tim 4 Feb 11

HA! How right you are Anon! A lot of hot air I think! BTW does anyone else think the George Negus show is an older version of 7pm project? i havent bothered to watch Negus but just get the feeling it is the same format-snippets of this and that with no deep discussion about anything!

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Mark from the Internet 4 Feb 11

Of course the ratings were good. It was meant to completely Level Northern Queensland.

BUT IT DIDNT.

Australia: Trolled.

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James 5 Feb 11

Damn Nature,
Bloody nature pushed this monster through the best place it could where there would be the least amount of damage and loss of life.
“A category 5 disappointment”… you callous idiot. It was still a category 5 cyclone but you’re disappointed there wasn’t more death and destruction. The typical comment of a chardonnay swilling marketing nob sitting in their trendy inner city apartment.
Hope you never have to face a monster like Yasi

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