Did anyone in their rush to comment about the election notice that it was called on Palm Sunday? According to the Bible, that’s when Jesus entered Jerusalem to be greeted by people waving palm branches. For Christians such as our Scott Morrison, it’s a reminder of the welcoming of Jesus into their hearts and of their willingness to follow him. Is that why ScoMo called the election yesterday? As a message to his God-botherers who would have been eyeing the heavens, waving their hands and singing in their Hillsong-type temples that ScoMo’s second coming had arrived?
The F1 race in Melbourne yesterday attracted 677,000 viewers to Ten and 281,000 to Foxtel. Hardly worth it — very underwhelming — and yet Melbourne celebrated. Perhaps it was the good weather (we can talk in wet, old Sydney).
As Insiders showed, ScoMo had to leave his taxpayer-funded, harbourside accommodation in Sydney yesterday morning to travel to Canberra — again, at taxpayers’ expense. Why couldn’t it have been Zoomed? Insiders still managed 582,000 national viewers — another top-10 finish on yet another Sunday.
From then on, there was incessant reporting and mindless chattering about the May election. Federal election campaigns are one of the special places in purgatory reserved for sinners in The Divine Comedy — why us, voters cry, when it should be the sinners the chatterers are talking about?
By the way, Netflix has a really, really top-notch documentary on Jimmy Savile, the UK pedophile — watch and be completely horrified at what he got away with due to the connivance of the UK media, the establishment (and a particular QC) and former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, as well as Prince Charles and his advisers.
Network channel share:
- Seven (29.3%)
- Nine (28.4%)
- ABC (16.4%)
- Ten (15.5%)
- SBS (10.4%)
Network main channels:
- Seven (20.0%)
- Nine (19.7%)
- ABC (11.5%)
- Ten (8.5%)
- SBS ONE (6.0%)
Top 5 digital channels:
- 7mate, 7TWO (3.4%)
- 10 Peach (3.3%)
- 10 Bold (3.2%)
- Gem (2.7%)
Top 10 national programs:
- Seven News — 1.384 million
- Nine News — 1.133 million
- 7pm ABC News — 869,000
- 60 Minutes (Nine) — 832,000
- Border Security (Seven) — 770,000
- F1: Melbourne Race (Ten) — 677,000
- Grand Designs New Zealand (ABC) — 625,000
- Insiders (ABC, ABC News) — 582,000
- F1: Podium (Ten) — 491,000
- Code 1: Minute by Minute (Seven) — 480,000
Top metro programs: none with a million or more viewers
Top regional programs: Seven News, 462,000; Nine News, 318,000; 7pm ABC News, 310,000; 60 Minutes, 272,000.
Losers: All of us viewers — it’s non-ratings Easter.
Metro news and current affairs:
- Seven News — 922,000
- Nine News — 815,000
- 7pm ABC News — 560,000
- 60 Minutes (Nine) — 559,000
- The Sunday Project 7pm (Ten) — 322,000
- Ten News First — 276,000
- The Sunday Project 6.30pm (Ten) — 219,000
- SBS News — 179,000
Morning (national) TV:
- Insiders (ABC, ABC News) — 582,000
- Weekend Sunrise (Seven) — 392,000
- Landline (ABC) — 325,000
- Weekend Today (Nine) — 271,000
- Offsiders (ABC) — pre-empted
- Sports Sunday (Nine) — 209,000
Top 5 pay TV programs:
- F1: Melbourne Race (Fox Sports 506) — 281,000
- NRL: Canterbury v Penrith (Fox League) — 214,000
- NRL: Cronulla v Wests (Fox League) — 206,000
- Supercars Podium (Fox Sports 506) — 187,000
- Supercars: Melbourne Race (Fox Sports 506) — 179,000
