The Sun-Herald

i find it incredible than seven has all these great new shows and 9 are still sticking with them.

does seven need to rethink the structure of their programming or are people just not liking their new shows

surley 7 will win this year but i dont think it will be the thumping that alot of people think it will be. 9 are very good at stretching their shows out over the year and 7 will have to try and build a big enough lead over the first half of the year to ensure 9 doesnt do what it did last year.

• by a on March 04, 2007 at 12:57 PM

If only Home and Away could lift its game a bit to last years 1.2mil consistency then the nail might be in the coffin... I have read that a few programs have dropped opening credits so as to get into the action a little quicker and keep viewers from straying. This may work for Greys, but I feel a soap like H&A with its' revolving characters and storylines would be better off bringing back the jingle "You know we belong together..."

• by Daniel in Dubai slash Brisbane on March 04, 2007 at 02:37 PM

Good figures for seven. Border Security will be huge when they air new eps!! Good to see ten on the rise! Especially with house on the improve (still deserves more)

• by Nick on March 04, 2007 at 06:57 PM

Mr Dale
Upon reading the list of the top eleven shows on tv printed this morning in your column, I am aghast! I have never seen any of them. What on earth is going on when nobody is watching ABC news, or "our Kezza" on the 7:30 report?
b

Tribal Mind replies: You should have continued and read the entire top 35.

• by bev on March 05, 2007 at 04:52 AM

I think the secret that keeps Ch 9 sticking so closely to Ch 7 in the ratings, despite having very few shows in the top 10 or even top 20, has a lot to do with what they schedule in the late night timeslots. The ratings are based on percentages between 6pm and midnight. If Ch 9 can show programs between 10.30pm and midnight that score huge ratings, they can even things out with a poor performance earlier in the evening.

• by J Bar on March 05, 2007 at 09:05 AM

An audience of 1 million for Spicks and Specks!Just goes to show how many desperates there are out there.

• by Robert on March 05, 2007 at 09:35 AM

I do not agree with Robert that downloading is having a massive effect on ratings although I think with time its effect will grow substanially. I do wonder though about the number of people watching. You have probably answered this at some time in the past that I did not see TM but on a popular viewing night/time (and I guess by consensus on this blog 8.30 Wednesday would be a prime example) is the total number of TV viewers - FTA and what we know of Foxtel- greater than or less than 2 years ago? I am wondering if my TV free nights are not just a personal change of habits.

• by Cat on March 05, 2007 at 09:47 AM

Let's be realistic here. Do you really think that there are up to 300,000 users out there downloading shows on the internet. Because that is how many TV shows are losing. Who has the resources, time and knowledge in downloading these shows??
This is a realatively new phenomenon and I personally don't believe there are hundreds of thousands of people waiting for hours (and I mean it would take hours) at home on their internet using a lot of their allocated bandwidth just to download some shows which will be shown on TV for free at a later date.
Tell me I'm wrong.

• by Peter on March 05, 2007 at 10:05 AM

Tell me I'm wrong.

* Posted by: Peter at March 5, 2007 10:05 AM

You are wrong Peter. Downloading TV shows on a fast broadband connection is actually very fast. I once downloaded an episode of Lost in 3 minutes. ADSL2+ connections are not that expensive and for about $60 a month you can download 30GB, enough for about 100 TV shows.

There was an article on smh which stated that Australia is the highest per capita downloader of TV shows in the world and second in volume only to Great Britain.

The commercial networks need to wake up and stop treating their viewers with contempt or they will continue to download. Put the shows on when they are on in the US like Ten did with Jericho last year and stop putting ad breaks on every 5 minutes.

• by James on March 05, 2007 at 10:27 AM

The reason why the viewing figures are so low is simple. A lot of the households with meters are on extended holidays or still on the beach, sipping coffee somewhere, etc. TV viewing should increase substantially as the days become shorter and the temperature colder. That should start in a few more weeks.

• by Bim on March 05, 2007 at 10:39 AM

Yeah have Ten have taken off The Shield season 5 eps (after showing 2 or 3 of them), being the morons that they are. Great way to build viewer loyalty and a move that just encourages downloading (for viewers who admire the show) and Batt Galactica, which is also treated shabbily. Sunday 10.30 pm was a decent timeslot for a show that has limited appeal, but I wouldn't complain if The Shield got moved to an 11.30 pm one, plus season 5 only has about 12 episodes in it anyway.

• by GBaxter on March 05, 2007 at 10:46 AM

Posted by: Peter at March 5, 2007 10:05 AM "Do you really think that there are up to 300,000 users out there downloading shows on the internet?"

Well according to the news story in today's SMH, there are "3.9 million Australians now enjoying high-speed internet access at home, compared with 2.75 million using dial up"

That means it would take less than 1 in 10 people with broadband internet to download the show to reach the 300,000 drop in ratings. Even less if they burn it to a cd and share it among their friends.

Sure, in reality it probably doesn't explain the whole drop.. but it is not inconceivable by any means.

And in terms of requiring the knowledge, resources and time taken to do it... it really isnt as difficult or time comsuming as you might think... unless of course you are one of the 2.75million with dial-up.

• by Rob on March 05, 2007 at 11:02 AM

I download Greys Anatomy, Lost and Veronica Mars every week. Contrary to Peter's claim, it takes around 30 minutes to 1 hour to get an episode and I can watch without ads and without waiting, in the case of Veronica Mars to see if Ten will even bother showing it from week to week. I can also watch it at a time that suits me. I don't watch any free -to -air tv any more. Just DVDs and downloads.

• by lex on March 05, 2007 at 11:26 AM

Peter at March 5, 2007 10:05 AM

Peter - as requested - you are wrong.

I agree though that 300,000 arent doing it, but the ones that do SHARE them, just like a new CD or the taped final qtr of a great footy match. Its not legal, but neither is Murder and a lot of people still do that too.

The problem I think is serialised shows like Lost and Heroes. Miss one episode and you are doomed to forever be behind, and I think todays lifestlye means people dont have the time to devote an hour each week at a specific time anymore, so they either seek out alternatives to watching it live, or bypass the show altogether. And once you go torrent, it is hard to go back to FTA.

As for the required knowledge, use Google, that is what it is for. Search for torrent FAQ and it's all there, no PC knowledge required, just follew the steps and pretty screen dumps and before you know it you can have a whole season on your desktop.

And for god's sake Peter, get off dial-up and dump your 486 PC from 1991, because my SP gives me 2.4 Mb connection and 30Gb (then throttled) download limit (no peak either), all for $49.00 per month. And thats not even the best there is. Considering a 42 min show is around 350 Mb, thats a lot of shows I can fit in if thats all I used my connection for, so 4 episodes of Lost or whatever per month doesnt make a dent in my bandwidth at all, nor does 40. Not to mention if you wait a day, you can download an episode after the glut of initial leeches easily within an hour, otherwise its only 3 hours to wait. Take the dog for a run, have a shower and eat some food and you are done. Alternatively, set those up overnight or while you are at work and no time is wasted at all...

• by Mat on March 05, 2007 at 11:37 AM

Peter, you're wrong. And, yes, let's be realistic. You ask: "Who has the resources, time and knowledge in downloading these shows??"

The only resource you need is an internet connection, which, as has already been pointed out, is now in the millions of households. The knowledge? Well, you click on a torrent link - it's not rocket science. Time? For a long time now, computers have been able to multitask, so it's not like you're sitting there twiddling your thumbs waiting for a download. Even if it takes an hour or two, so what?

You say this is a relatively new phenomenon, but speaking personally, I've been doing it for at least six years - I remember when 80Mb encodes were considered large!

Pater said: "...just to download some shows which will be shown on TV for free at a later date".

But that's not the issue. The show you're interested in may not be shown at a later date, or may be dropped, moved to the graveyard slot, be pre-empted, infested by copious commercials and ad overlays or be broken up arbitrarily over the so called silly season. It's the unreliability of the broadcasters and their Draconian marketing tactics which leads people to download content, not simply because of a 'time delay'.

About the only thing I watch on FTA television these days are Australian programs like 7:30 Report, Lateline, Catalyst, Cricket, Cutting Edge, Spicks & Specks, At the Movies and the odd Brit show like Extras, The Bill, Dalziel and Pascoe (ie, predominantly on non-commercial channels).

• by damien on March 05, 2007 at 12:36 PM

Damien wrote: But that's not the issue. The show you're interested in may not be shown at a later date, or may be dropped, moved to the graveyard slot, be pre-empted, infested by copious commercials and ad overlays or be broken up arbitrarily over the so called silly season. It's the unreliability of the broadcasters and their Draconian marketing tactics which leads people to download content, not simply because of a 'time delay'.

I have to agree with that part. I only download a couple of shows and watch the rest on FTA but it is the unreliability that makes me act on those.
One thing people are not mentioning is that a number of ISPs are choking torrents due to bandwith problems which does make it a slow and painful process and that will grow unless Australia's bandwith problems are addressed. For many that leaves usenet (which is cheap but not free) as the quickest option until the ISPs decide to choke them. The people on this blog are far more IT literate than an average Sydneysider and Ch 9's core programs appeal to a much older audience who would not know a torrent from a tornado at this point yet 9 is having a tough start to the year.

It will take a long time before downloading is more than a nuisance to FTA. In the meantime their behaviour will drive people to other ways of getting their entertainment.

• by Cat on March 05, 2007 at 12:57 PM

How did Kylie Minogue's concert rate?

Tribal Mind replies: 496,000, while carbon test got 511,000.

• by Michael on March 05, 2007 at 01:30 PM

As others have pointed out, it does not take long to download these episodes.

I gave up on watching Heroes on Ch 7. I have all the episodes that have aired in the USA, and watched them commercial free. I just stream them from the PC to the TV using a Wireless Media Player.

I also gave up on Lost and Battlestar Galactica, and I am now up to date with the USA air dates. I don't have to wait months (or years) for the local stations to catch up.

FTA here in Australia has become a total joke. Stations can't stick to published times, shows come and go without any notice, or the day/time change from week to week so you end up missing it.

It is amazing how much of your life you get back when you don't have to sit through 20 minutes of ads per show. I know the FTA stations hate it, but what are they going to go when even the US TV stations are offering episodes for download off their own websites and iTunes the day after they air in the US?

Paul

• by Paul on March 05, 2007 at 01:53 PM

Sally Brownlow's Heckler item "It's hard to express irony with tongue literally in cheek" amused U.S. wordsmith Anu Garg so much that he has drawn it to the attention of 600,000 wordlovers who receive his global newsletterr, A Word A Day.

He also shows a link to a hilarious story in the London Daily Telegraph, explaining Why Noble Ox won't be running at Cheltenham:
http://tinyurl.com/2nkgzp

• by Eric Shackle on March 05, 2007 at 02:31 PM

Hey David,

May I ask how the V8's went for C7 on Sunday? They coughed up enough dough over TEN for the coverage, so it would be interesting to see if it has paid off (or not) for them.

Can anyone guess what will happen when V8 rounds clash with the gAyFL? My 2 cents is V8 highlights in the adbreak with a banner for KFC running along the bottom.

On the download debate, i was rather irate with 9 for culling weeds from regular viewing, and in retaliation, cued all the eps and downloaded every one i could get my hands on.

• by DAYTONA on March 05, 2007 at 02:37 PM

Channel Ten is seriously becoming the biggest Loser - the Great Carbon Test was sincerely the Greatest Con Test - I'm all for saving the planet but this was just primary school crap - the questions they were asking the viewers were mindnumbingly stupid and the bits I saw were just jawdroppingly boring - what a waste of a program!

As for Channel Nine - I find it hard to stomach that 60 minutes would allow itself to promote Derryn Hunch and his 'mystery disease' This is a guy who shamefully exposes others for not telling the truth (who can forget his shameful exposure of David Hookes and Graham Kennedy after they died) - Here is Hinch 'maximising' what would normally be a very personal issue, purely for exposure, cash and premium TV ratings. It just smacks of someone who demands attention. I wouldn't like to be in his shoes and I do hope he recovers but isn't his decision at not coming clean about his health just a tad hypocritical given the grief he's poured on families like those of David Hookes and Graham Kennedy!

• by craig on March 05, 2007 at 03:05 PM

Ten seem to be having big problems with their Sunday night prime time lineup, up until the moronic Big Brother show is ready to start back up again in April.

I wouldn't hold out for Seven keeping the very mediocre What About Brian show (which should've been done as a half hour show) at
9.30 pm Sundays for too long, as it's getting badly thrashed by CSI Miami and I wouldn't be surprised if WAB resurfaces in our summer recess at the end of this year.

Seven should've slotted Criminal Minds season 2, or Prison Break season 2 eps (it's a terrific show, even though it's premise is workable for only 2 more seasons maximum, but you've got to see every single Pris Break season 2 episode to keep track of what's happening) for 9.30 pm Sundays, but I believe Pris Break is also bleeding ratings at 9.30 pm Wednesdays and it'll probably get moved soon to a 10.30 pm slot like 24 has. A Pris Break season 3 will almost certainly get given a 10.30 pm timeslot by Seven next year.

• by Mike on March 05, 2007 at 03:51 PM

It'd be very interesting to see a ratings chart for the week in Australia with ALL Australian viewers including downloaders taken into account (meaning that if, for example, there are approximately 400,000 viewers downloading Lost from the US then Lost would get figures of around 1.5m)
I think this would see a huge rise in the rankings of serialized shows like Lost, Heroes and Prison Break. These are the shows that get you hooked and the ones that you cant stand to wait a week for.
On the other hand, shows like Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, House, etc are very popular but don't have that must-see factor about them.

• by Steve on March 05, 2007 at 04:04 PM

Hey TM where is your full update of the ratings of 'the catch up last week'?
-Ben

Tribal Mind asks: I decided to do my column on a different topic because it was a bit premature to make a judgement yet. Why do you care so passionately?

• by Ben Tree on March 05, 2007 at 04:52 PM

If you don't have a ratings box, you should download as many tv shows as you want without feeling any guilt.

Because what you watch or don't watch has no effect on the recorded ratings.

=--------=

SBS used to be my favourite channel. But I have been watching very little lately due to the ads and in disgust at what the SBS board have done to the station.

But I realise that my personal protest is meaningless. I don't have a ratings box, so nobody knows that I have stopped watching SBS.

It is completely insignificant what I watch or if my viewing habits change.

• by Sean M on March 05, 2007 at 05:12 PM

"Tribal Mind replies: 496,000, while carbon test got 511,000."

Sorry Ch10 but SUCKED IN!!!!
That's what you get for advertising a program TO DEATH for almost a month!!! Honestly you could not watch 5 mins of any show on Ch10 without those stupid banner ads asking "can you save the world".
I hope they've learned something from this

• by steve on March 05, 2007 at 05:52 PM

If i can add my 2cents about this downloading saga. Not that i download but i have a DVD recorder with Hard Drive which has totally changed my viewing habbits but that's a different topic altogether.
I believe what the FTA networks need to do is air episodes close to what the US does like with The OC and Jericho AND put less ads in the programs but simply make the ads more expensive (like instead of putting 10 ads at $100,000 each put 5 ads at $200,000 each) thus not losing money. Therefore viewship would be up and maybe a show could then also finish at the times they are supposed to.

Another note also is we can't forget the entire ratings system is a joke anyway, i mean 4,000 people representing 9 MILLION!!! i mean come on. Surely more accurate forms could be invented, like with the help of satelites picking up how many individual households tune into a certain Channel's TV signal or something along those lines.

• by steve on March 05, 2007 at 06:07 PM

Ben Tree asked for the ratings from last week's The Catch Up , hardly a catchy and memorable title , and the show is even worse !

Maybe Ben is hoping , as I am , that this show will die an horrendous rating's death . The scrolling advertorial banner , the jostling of the panel for me ! me !me ! ( oh wait , there are four ) so another ME!! , this time from the detestable Libby Gore .
I watched today as she talked over everyone , cut off their comments , as usual , and uses her ample body to invade the blonde Zoe's space . If the show must survive , could a channel 9 lurker in here please rein her in . She is NOT the top dog in the pack , even tho' she would like to be running the show single handed . last I looked it isn't the Libby Gore panel , at least the other women have started to say , " let me finish " , or they keep talking despite Ms Gore's efforts to interject .

• by jane doe on March 05, 2007 at 06:28 PM

lol Tribal - I was asking about 'the catch up' ratings because my Mum was a big fan of Y & R and was dissapointed to see it go. I was hoping that the catch up had a bad week so I could tell her and she would be a little happier!
-Ben

TM replies: It did, but there is no chance of Nine bringing back YR.

• by Ben Tree on March 05, 2007 at 06:52 PM

I agree that downloading is having an impact, but it is not as substantial as some people suggest at the moment.

To account for 300,000 viewers less in each Lost and Prison Break by citing downloading is crazy.

Take another look at the figures.

Yes, there are 3.9m Australians with broadband. However this is over all of Australia, not over the captial cities. There would be a maximum of 3m (~25%).

And only (roughly) 14% of people watched Lost, while 11% watched Prison Break last year.

To account for a drop of 300,000 this would be a 22% loss of viewers for Lost, almost the number that would have broadband.

So you are telling me that just about anyone that watches Lost and has broadband uses it to download the show??

I don't doubt that downloading will have a major impact in the very near future and that networks will be forced to adapt quickly, but for the moment, that's not the cause of the decreases.

• by Phil on March 05, 2007 at 08:09 PM

hey TM how did the Catch Up go today (Monday)
am interested to see if its lost viewers from the first week when alot of people would tune in just to see how its going
I think the show is appauling, that scroll across the bottom of the screen is annoying for daytime and Lisa can never get her word across with out being attacked.
Nine must realise the mistake of putting this rubbish on, but then again 9 seems to have no idea lately with daytime or primetime

Tribal Mind replies: Down to 183,000 -- a fabulous result if it was on Pay TV.

• by dave on March 05, 2007 at 09:20 PM

My original comment
The slow demise of Heroes in my belief is not a lack of intrest or fans turning away from the show ..since the first episode aired on seven i know so many people who were so captivated by the show they immedietly started downloading all the episodes up to the current 1 being showed in the US its a sign of the times and with modern technology i think seven ,Ten and Nine need to bight the bullet and start airing US shows at the same time in Australia or face the reality of shows that are very popular fading down to the 1,000,000 mark do to downloads..im finding all ratings for hit shows this year are much lower then last year except for house on Ten,despo's 1.3,lost 1.1,prison break 1.0,csi 1.3 surely this is a sign that downloading is starting to have a massive effect on tv ratings

and in response to this comment

I do not agree with Robert that downloading is having a massive effect on ratings although I think with time its effect will grow substanially. I do wonder though about the number of people watching. You have probably answered this at some time in the past that I did not see TM but on a popular viewing night/time (and I guess by consensus on this blog 8.30 Wednesday would be a prime example) is the total number of TV viewers - FTA and what we know of Foxtel- greater than or less than 2 years ago? I am wondering if my TV free nights are not just a personal change of habits.

Cat in response to your comment and as you can probably see by many other comments on this blog downloading has become a much easier affair since the introduction of Broadband i myself am ahead of fta tv with many us hit shows due to me being able to download episodes ,on another note i do find it valid that yes perhaps alot of oztam box holders may be downloading aswell and offcourse not tuning in to watch shows so for instance we get 20 oztam customers nationwide downloading heroes and theres 200,000 veiwers,i think the next major question is how long do we think it will take for the Australian networks to start showing us shows at the same time as in the us 2,3 or maybe 5 years?

• by Robert on March 06, 2007 at 12:15 AM

I realise that you don't have to have broadband, however it is still a good base to look at the number of people you are talking about here.
Many with broadband will not do it at all - with anything less than a 5Gb limit, it's hard to fit too many in.
For every person with broadband (that would have otherwise watched) that doesn't download, there is, according to you, a person that gets a DVD from a friend. It's not quite at that level yet.
You and your friends doing it does not count as everyone doing it. Too many people are trying to draw conclusions about Australia as a whole from their own social circles.

• by Phil on March 06, 2007 at 10:26 AM

how did the catch up go yesterday against Oprah?

• by dave on March 06, 2007 at 11:44 AM

You and your friends doing it does not count as everyone doing it. Too many people are trying to draw conclusions about Australia as a whole from their own social circles.

Phil at March 6, 2007 10:26 AM

Well, this is the same logic used by OzTam. Get a couple of figures and extrapolate an estimate from them. Sounds like reasonable logic to me.

• by Mat on March 06, 2007 at 12:16 PM

I guess the answer to whether downloading is affecting tv ratings lies with TM. has there been a marked decrease in tv viewers over the past few years. My guess - No. There is a lower number of people watching ugly betty, prisonbreak, housewives, lost, heroes and any other, is because they are in the main rubbish. People don't like them, as they insult your intelligence. They have lost their WOW factor and become stale and predictable, or they never had ti to begin with. The TV stations (all of them) talk up their shows as is to be expected. The reality is very usually a lot worse than what we are lead to believe. I mean, the talk about UB was incredible, whereas the show is average. Ditto for Heroes. So doubt very much that downloading is having any affect at all...it's the quality of programming.

• by Wardy on March 06, 2007 at 01:39 PM

Does anybody know when Ch 7 are going to show Alias season 5? I heard it would be in Feb/March but other people are saying june? TM do you know which is right, thanks so much

• by cassie on March 06, 2007 at 03:46 PM

Shanna said - Best show on TV is Boston Legal- such a good show & should have a better timeslot

Concur! I think that Channel 7 should replace What About Brian with Boston Legal... I think that it would not only follow on beautifully from the other two programs but give BL the audience numbers it deserves. The audience who watches Brothers & Sisters might also be the demographic who go to bed after watching it... Re downloading arguement, yes my download habit has affected my viewing habits, I don't watch Prison Break on FTA anymore. Then again , I do not have an OZTAM rating box so my viewing habits do not count. As people have suggested, FTA networks should bring the timing closer to the US, may not counter all of the downloading but may lessen the effects. Speaking of which, does anyone else think it slightly ironic that Ch7 refers people to their website for a "sneak" peek at next week's episodes... yes, but then after the sneak & while still on the net, why not view the "whole" episode on someone else's website?

• by kate on March 06, 2007 at 05:18 PM

How many viewers did the final episode of Vanished get on Monday night in its super late time slot of 11.30pm?

Tribal Mind replies: 278,000 -- pretty good for the timeslot.

• by Andrew on March 06, 2007 at 09:04 PM

It's nice to see 7 news doing so well. Ian Ross was one of teh biggest and most successful investment channel 7 had.

• by Em on March 06, 2007 at 09:42 PM

Who is honestly still watching The Rich List

Come on, "how many words end in berry?"...i mean really

Glad Brothers and Sisters did better this week

• by steve on March 06, 2007 at 10:31 PM

I must say I am happy with the current time for Boston Legal - it is also one of my faves, but I do like it on Mondays at 10.30 - if they only followed it with Scrubs... perhaps that is an option now that I think Vanished has done just that!
I love that the show does not take itself seriously, and as I have said earlier lop the pop culture references - one of the best was after Wiliam Shatner had won the Emmy - think he said it a couple of times one episode.
Also I am with an earlier poster who asked when Alias season 5 would be aired... I would also like to know that.
I know people were commenting that 7 had very little for the second half of the year... can I suggest a repeat of Buffy right from season one would be a nice way to spend the second half of the year. I know I have seen them all but anything by Joss Whedon is worth a second or even third look!
I also note that Channel 10 website does allow Supernatural downloads for free, if only they did it for other shows (no not the Con Test!) as last week I was tired and managed to accidently record the 10 program guide, not NCIS as I intended - momentary lapse of sense.

• by Cathy on March 07, 2007 at 12:21 AM

TM wrote: "Last week was loose and lose week. This week it's its. Next week I'll complain about rogue apostrophe's. But I promise to leave their theres alone."

TM, you have peeked my interest. It makes no sence why good grammer seems optional these day's and it begs the question, why? But I fear this could be a mute point.

• by damien on March 07, 2007 at 08:39 AM

Well folks ive started on the road of downloading. If i cant watch the shield on fta then ill have to down load it.
The only problen is I started at 12.00 last nite and im only 74% thorugh it at 1035 the next morning.
And thats only one eppisode!!!!
How l;ong should it take ????
Thank god i didnt do the whole season
Don

• by Don on March 07, 2007 at 10:36 AM

Below are some of the factors leading to a decline in viewing numbers:

- Highly serialised shows (e.g. Lost, Heroes, Prison Break) have always shown decreases in ratings over time because you miss one episode, you can’t catch up. Note that Lost, as an example, has also decreased markedly in the US as well, where (funnily enough) they are sticking to the US airdates. I know that downloading occurs there too, but unlike Australia, the majority is only after the broadcast time.

- Many indirect substitutes are becoming popular. People are consuming a wider range of media than ever before squeezing out time that would have been used for TV viewing. Substitutes include broadband, DVDs, etc. For example the viewer could read a blog, watch a vodcast, watch a DVD instead of watching the TV.

- Higher segmentation of the market. TV stations are now aiming for specific parts of the market, rather than the market as a whole. Therefore, the top rated shows are scoring lower than before as they are more targeted.

- Less free time. This is a result of an increase in the average hours worked over a week.

- Lastly, direct substitutes such as (yes) downloading the episodes over broadband and trading a DVD with friends.

So downloading is one piece of the puzzle of a much wider picture. Make sure you consider the effect of each of the above factors rather than just blaming downloading.

As I’ve said before, no doubt it will rapidly accelerate and become more important in the very near future, but it is not to account for the decline you are currently seeing in the viewing figures.

• by Phil on March 07, 2007 at 10:55 AM

In regards to downloading shows often downloading shows keeps me watching a show on tv. For example if i miss one of my favourite shows on tv and forget to tape it i often download it so i'll be up to date for next week. Rather than missing an ep. I'm sure many others do this too so therefore it would increase tv ratings in that way too.

-Ben

• by Ben Tree on March 07, 2007 at 11:57 AM

Ch7 got 5 shows in the top 11.
Ch10 got 4 shows in the top 11.
CH 9 has 2, with everyone seemingly switching off Ch9 after 6.30pm
the overall percenatges seem way off course

• by bob on March 07, 2007 at 12:09 PM

Hi TM, I love reading this blog, keep up the good work. I must say I am a downloader as well. I am up to date with Greys, Brothers & Sisters and the latest Amazing Race. I think in this day and age as technology improves, more people will download. It just takes ages for us to get the shows on fta. The only show I haven't downloaded which I love at the moment is Heroes. I am happy to watch this every week.

• by SC on March 07, 2007 at 12:35 PM

The only problen is I started at 12.00 last nite and im only 74% thorugh it at 1035 the next morning.
And thats only one eppisode!!!!
How l;ong should it take ????

* Posted by: Don at March 7, 2007 10:36 AM

Don,
I downloaded the most recent Episodes of my favourite shows the last couple of nights. Each file was about 355Mb, and I was able to get them in just over an hour. Top download speed was about 250Kb/s, but the average speed was a tad under 100Kb/s.
I found that tinkering with the BitTorrent settings can have a huge impact on the performance (try capping your upload speed at various settings and see what happens).
Anyway, I now have this weeks episodes all queued up and ready to watch at my convenience, commercial free. But, I don't have a ratings box so nobody cares. (In fact, I have a friend who did some work for Ch 7, and he told them he does not watch Ch 7. They said that unless he had ratings box at home, they couldn't care less)
Paul

• by Paul on March 07, 2007 at 01:26 PM

Re Damien @ 8.39am
Love your work - but I too will stay quiet on you final point.

• by Befuddled on March 07, 2007 at 01:42 PM

Bob,
Channel 9 only got 24.2 last night, with Channel 7 at 35.2.
Nine are able to keep their ratings higher than the top 10 may imply as a result of keeping their ratings a bit steadier after 10:30pm than the other networks. (The overall %s for 'prime time' are for 6pm-Midnight).

• by Phil on March 07, 2007 at 02:55 PM

Best wishes to Cynthia, her family and all the SMH family TM.

• by Cat on March 07, 2007 at 03:51 PM

Quite concerned about "NCIS" ratings. I'm not blaming Channel Ten; I too would have thought Tuesdays would be good for this series. Pity
By the way TM, how is Ten's Late News with Sandra Sully rating this year?

• by Signor Nick on March 07, 2007 at 04:27 PM