Ratings: News ratings lift for US election coverage

News and current affairs programs filled the top six places in overnight TV ratings on the back of coverage of the US Presidential election.

Donald Trump’s victory speech affected 6pm bulletins while the late finish to the counting preempted much of the late afternoon programming.

Preliminary numbers put Seven News ahead at 6pm with 1,176,000 metro viewers up 200,000 from last Wednesday’s numbers. Nine News was also well up with 1,072,000 at 6pm. By 6.30 Seven News and Today Tonight (Adelaide, Perth) had 1,067,000 with Nine News at 6.30 rating 1,031,000. ABC News at 7pm was up 80,000 to 845,000 while over at Ten, their 5pm bulletin lifted 80,000 to 507,000. The late finishing Nine News was coded as a separate program for the 7pm segment in Sydney and Melbourne with 588,000 watching.

Also in the top ten for the night was A Current Affair’s special on the election that averaged 673,000 in adjusted numbers. ABC’s current affairs program 7.30 slotted in at number eight for the night with 779,000.

Seven’s prime time network share was 28.0% ahead of Nine with 27.2%, ABC with 20.7% buoyed by a 5.2% share for ABCNews 24 with Ten on 16.8% and SBS with 7.4%.

Also on Seven last night, Home and Away rated 818,000 in preliminary numbers (expected to be adjusted for the lead-in news finishing late). Highway Patrol that followed had 727,000, Beach Cops 668,000 and Surveillance Oz 547,000 with Ramsay’s Hotel Hell on 386,000.

Nine’s 7.30 offering of RBT managed 599,000, well down on The Block’s million plus viewers the week before. This saw Doctor, Doctor lose ground to 704,000 but still win the timeslot. A late Nine News special had 344,000.

For ABC, Hard Quiz (563,000) and Upper Middle Bogan (484,000) also made the top twenty. Other results were Rosehaven (450,000), The Drum (305,000) and the return of Please Like Me with 245,000.

For Ten, The Project managed 535,000 and 411,000 with Jamie’s Super Food Family Classics (455,000) and Wrong Girl (443,000) up from last week. Family Feud had 432,000 and later, Madam Secretary had 238,000.

Best for SBS were Tutankhamun (217,000), India: Nature’s Wonderland (203,000) and 24 Hours in Emergency (194,000).

Ratings for election related programming are preliminary and reflect election coverage that may have preempted what was listed with some not shown in all markets. Highlights only shown.

Seven News Election Coverage 259,000*

Nine News Election Coverage 226,000*

USA Votes ABC 270,000/267,000
USA Votes ABC News 24 230,000/223,000
Lateline ABC News 24 201,000
With ABC reporting that ABC News 24 achieved a record breaking 8.8% day-time share.

Studio 10 Election Coverage 88,000

*Info supplied by Seven Network: Sydney and Melbourne 1000-1800, Brisbane 0900-1730/1745-1800, Adelaide 0930-1730, Perth 0900-1500/1543-1630.

Sky News coverage’s top program The Bolt Report rated 139,000 nationally.

At breakfast Sunrise had 349,000 and Today 287,000

See Wednesday 9 November 2016 for a more detailed look at the ratings numbers in the Media Spy forums.

Data © OzTAM Pty Limited 2016. The Data may not be reproduced, published or communicated (electronically or in hard copy) in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of OzTAM.

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