TV ratings wrap: Nine wins the week and claims best ever Q1 lead in key demos
Nine has continued its weekly dominance of OzTam’s television ratings, last week taking a network share of 30.3%, down just 0.1% from the week before but still ahead of closest rival Seven on 27.5%.
It comes after a week that saw Married at First Sight claim an average metro audience of over 1 million viewers for every episode of the week.
The second week of its AFL coverage saw Seven take out the honour of the top sport ahead of Nine’s NRL. 7News was also the top news program nationally for every day of the week, while 7two, 7mate and 7flix were the number one multichannel group.
The final week of Ten’s tentpole program The Amazing Race wasn’t enough to deliver the network a significant boost, with the network taking a 16.3% share, behind the ABC with 18.1%.
Ten, however, laid claim to the top-performing multi-channel overall, with 10 Bold taking the title with 3.6% as well as being ranked one in its key demo of over 40s.
Nine claims Q1
As the first quarter of 2021 wrapped up, Nine was unsurprisingly the winner among all free-to-air television broadcasters, with a 30.1% network share ahead of Seven with 25.9% for total people.
The ABC took third place among the networks with an 18.3% share, ahead of Ten with 17.5% and SBS with 8.2%.
Nine’s share was even higher in People 25-54 (33.6%) and People 16-39 (34.9%), with both results the second-highest the network has ever enjoyed in Q1 since OzTam began 20 years ago.
Q1 Ratings – Provided By Nine [click to enlarge]
Nine program director Hamish Turner said: “The powerful combination of the Australian Open, Married at First Sight and a diverse news offering has driven Nine to a dominant position in Q1. Across both the 9Network’s linear channels and 9Now, we have seen Married again capture the national conversation in a way no other Australian TV show does.
“Married will continue its momentum as we move into Easter and beyond with a strong slate of family favourites like LEGO Masters, Ninja Warrior, Celebrity Apprentice, Beauty & The Geek and The Block that will continue to deliver throughout the year.”
Nine was able to claim the most watched live program of the quarter, with the 2021 Australian Open Men’s Final delivering the win.
Meanwhile, eight of the top ten rating programs of the quarter were episodes of Married at First Sight. The show was also the top catch-up program as a series, ahead of Ten’s Amazing Race Australia and Seven’s Home And Away.
Michael Stephenson, Nine’s Chief Sales Officer, said: “2021 has seen a phenomenal start to the TV ratings years for Nine. Again, Married at First Sight has been a cross platform juggernaut, delivering across linear TV and 9Now with all key demographics.
“We know we have a trusted and proven content slate and will carry that momentum into Q2 with the MAFS vow renewals, LEGO Masters and Celebrity Apprentice. As ever, Nine is the clear market leader across total television – be it linear TV or digital.”
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Zanda Wilson was a reporter and podcast producer at Mumbrella, specialising in radio reporting. He left Mumbrella in September 2021.
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