Julian Assange show rates 1.336m, wins time slot and all main ad demos for Ten
Alex Williams as a young Julian Assange
A tele-movie about Wikileaks founder Julian Assange rated with a hefty 1.336m for struggling broadcaster Ten last night.
The Matchbox Films-produced show, called Underground – The Julian Assange Story, went out at 8.30pm, smashing Nine’s House Husbands, which rated with 961,000 and Killing Time on Seven, which rated 730,000.
It was the top show of the night in the key advertising demographics 18-49, 16-39 and 25-54.
But it was Seven’s Anh Does Vietnam which won the night, with 1.678m.
The show, which follows comedian Anh Do as he rediscovers the place of his birth, aired at 7.30pm, up against 60 Minutes on Nine and Modern Family on Ten.
It was second to Ten’s Assange show in all three key advertising demos.
Seven’s coverage of the V8 Supercars races from Bathurst pulled in 1.253m. Reporting from the podium after the race rated with 1.051m, while the final countdown drew an audience of 865,000.
Sunday’s top 15 shows:
1. Anh Does Vietnam Seven 1.678m
2. Sunday Night Seven 1.505m
3. Seven News Seven 1.419m
4. Underground – The Julian Assange Story Ten 1.336m
5. V8s on Seven: The Bathurst 1000 Seven 1.253m
6. 60 Minutes Nine 1.251m
7. Call the Midwife ABC 1.057m
8. V8s on Seven: The Bathurst 1000 – Podium Seven 1.051m
9. Nine News Nine 1.003m
10. House Husbands Nine 0.961m
11. Big Brother Nine 0.941m
12. V8s on Seven: The Bathurst 1000 – Countdown Seven 0.865m
13. ABC News ABC 0.849m
14. Great Southern Land ABC 0.752m
15. Killing Time Seven 0.730m
Sunday’s channel share:
- Seven: 23.2%
- ABC1: 15.4%
- Nine: 19.0%
- Ten: 18.0%
- 7TWO 3.5%
- 7mate: 3.5%
- GO!: 3.5%
- SBS1: 2.9%
- One: 2.9%
- Eleven: 2.4%
- Gem: 2.3%
- ABC2: 1.6%
- ABC3: 0.8%
- ABC News 24: 0.7%
- SBS2: 0.3%
Assange was a classy production.
Just a pity they turned Assange into a saint.
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Why would Channel 7 program Killing Time against Underground? Blind Freddy could have told you the Assange film would out-rate any film about ANdrew Fraser. I wanted to watch both but picked Assange over Fraser. Channel 7 virtually wasted and dumped Killing Time with its suicidal programming!
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Thank God there was Anh Do on TV last night – it was a great light hearted show – just need him to make some more so we can all have a great belly laugh.
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Contrast the Assange telemovie with the performance of Puberty Blues which had about 600,000 less viewers. Broadcasters will argue poor lead in programming depresses numbers etc but the fact is that if Ten commits to commissioning much more Australian drama and brings far greater rigour and scrutiny both to the quality of the writing and its audience then this could be a very effective tool for it to regain both ratings and credibility. Let’s hope that Ten’s management and its Board have realised this. Perhaps it is time for its advertisers to start the dialogue.
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Wasn’t Killing Time a repeat anyway?
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I was truly impressed with the Assange story.. great script, great acting, just all round a fantastic story told in a classy production. If only TEN would commission more quality drama’s like this one.
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‘Underground’ was fantastic – terrific casting, acting and script. I think it will do really well in the overseas market. @Grim Reaper, I think Killing Time has already been aired on foxtel??
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