split screen television screen grab of carrie bickmore and brittney hockley interview
Bachelor in Paradise cast member Brittney Hockley appears on The Project (Image: Supplied)

Well, it was a wild old time in Tasmania overnight — cold wet weather, wind, motorists trapped by heavy snow. Action aplenty. And snow in Melbourne as the it fell on streets emptied by the lockdown.

In the rest of Australia we slumbered on, TV boring us backwards and then again. Bachelor In Paradise (BIP) — 691,000 national viewers — proving that it’s a show made up of offcuts from The Bachelor and Bachelorette and if it can be, far more shallow.

The Project some how looks better social distancing — last night’s final brief interview with Bachelorette wannabe Brittany Hockley was far more interesting that the episode that followed or the rest of last night’s episode of The Project (7pm, 787,000).

Worth finding and watching for a good example of how programs like BIP typecast women. Hockley turns out to be a frontline hero in Sydney’s battles against COVID-19 and should be celebrated for that. She is far more substantial than others on the show. 

Nine won from a very distant Seven, with the ABC again beating Ten into third.

And no matter how Ten spins it, that is another rotten result. Yes Bachelor in Paradise does do well in the demos, but to be beaten by a bits and pieces ABC line-up tells us a lot about how threadbare Ten’s content lockers are.  

At least the ABC has Shaun Micallef’s Mad As Hell returning tonight and competition for snowfalls in Tasmania and Melbourne.

In breakfast Sunrise, 479,000/269,000 viewers, ABC News Breakfast, 330/228,000, Today, 308,000 and 220,000.

In regional markets Seven News, 623,000, Seven News 6.30, 590,000, The Chase Australia 5.30pm, 373,000, Home and Away, 361,000, 7pm ABC TV, 353,000.

Network channel share:

  1. Nine (31.5%)
  2. Seven (24.1%)
  3. ABC (18.6%)
  4. Ten (17.3%)
  5. SBS (8.5%)

Network main channels:

  1. Nine (22.8%)
  2. Seven (15.5%)
  3. ABC (14.2%)
  4. Ten (11.5%)
  5. SBS ONE (5.1%)

Top 5 digital channels: 

  1. 10 Bold (3.7%)
  2. 7mate (3.6%)
  3. 7TWO (3.4%)
  4. Gem (2.7%)
  5. 9Life (2.6%)

Top 10 national programs:

  1. Seven News — 1.81 million
  2. Seven News 6.30 — 1.74 million
  3. Nine/NBN News — 1.43 million
  4. Nine/NBN News 6.30 — 1.36 million
  5. 7pm ABC News — 1.23 million
  6. Australian Ninja Warrior (Nine) — 1.18 million
  7. A Current Affair (Nine) — 1.05 million
  8. The Chase Australia 5.30pm (Seven) — 1.02 million
  9. 7.30 (ABC) — 1.01 million
  10. Home and Away (Seven) — 968,000

Top metro programs:

  1. Seven News — 1.19 million
  2. Seven News 6.30 — 1.15 million
  3. Nine/NBN News — 1.11 million
  4. Nine/NBN News 6.30 — 1.02 million

Losers: Ten, Seven again: both should be doing better

Metro news and current affairs:

  1. Seven News — 1.19 million
  2. Seven News 6.30 — 1.15 million
  3. Nine/NBN News — 1.11 million
  4. Nine/NBN News 6.30 — 1.02 million
  5. 7pm ABC News – 878,000
  6. A Current Affair (Nine) — 728,000
  7. 7.30 (ABC) — 712,000
  8. The Project 7pm (Ten) — 564,000
  9. Ten News First — 421,000
  10. The Project 6.30 (Ten) — 363,000

Morning (National) TV:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) — 479,000/269,000
  2. News Breakfast (ABC, ABC News) — 330,000/228,000
  3. Today (Nine) – 308,000/220,000
  4. The Morning Show (Seven) — 253,000 
  5. Today Extra (Nine) – 179,000
  6. Studio 10 (Ten) — 76,000

Top five pay TV programs:

  1. AFL: Richmond v Brisbane (Fox Footy) — 224,000
  2. AFL: Post Game (Fox Footy) — 83,000
  3. Wentworth (Fox Showcase) — 78,000
  4. Credlin (Sky News) — 67,000
  5. The Bolt Report (Sky News) – 63,000