Who We Are

Wednesday May 9, 2007 04:08 PM

Monday, July 30, 2007

WHO WE ARE: How clean do we need to be?

A column about Australia by David Dale, published in The Sun-Herald 29/7/2007
It's your fault inflation is on the march again. You've been buying too much stuff. Australians have become so eager to spend their new wealth, they've been pushing prices up -- not just on luxuries such as giant TV screens and tiny iPods but on the so-called necessities we pick up each week in the supermarket.

With the help of the research agency ACNielsen, lets look at some of this nation's most purchased products and consider how essential they really are.

Australia's favourite toothpaste, Colgate. The US giant Colgate-Palmolive spends $7 million a year advertising its toothpastes in Australia, and we spend $250m a year buying them.

The ancient Romans found that a mixture of sand and urine did a great job of cleaning the teeth - the sand was an abrasive to rub off that furry feeling, and the ammonia in the urine served as an astringent mouthwash. Colgate simply embellished the concept with sweetening, odorising, colourising and lubricating agents - all of which we can do without -- plus occasional fluoride, which we already get in the water.

Australia's favourite deodorant, Rexona. At the start of the 20th century Australians either didn't smell or didn't care how they smelled. Then an American marketing genius found a way to panic us. In 1919, a US ad for a cream called Odo-Ro-No urged readers to "take the Armhole Odor Test" to see if they suffered from "BO". The pioneering deodorant in Australia was Mum, but these days we spend $100m a year on Unilever's Rexona. Do we really smell that much?

Australia's favourite shampoo, Pantene A century ago, people used soap. In 1933, the US company Procter and Gamble released the world's first mass-produced hair detergent under the name "Drene shampoo" (derived from the Hindu word champu, to massage or rub). The first home grown hair cleanser was Decore, developed in 1939 by a Sydney hairdresser, Sigmund Sperling, and taken over in the 1960s by the British firm Reckitt and Coleman.

Now supermarket shoppers must decide if their hair needs nourishing, strengthening, volumising, vitamising, thickening, moisturising, balancing, more body, more bounce, more protection, more manageability or more protein. We spend $100 million a year on Pantene alone. Soap would save us both time and money.

Australia's favourite tampon, Libra Once women would soak up monthly blood with cloth bandages. In 1931 Dr Earle Haas, of Denver, Colorado, developed a machine that squeezed sanitary pads into a tube-shape suitable for insertion into the vagina. In 1934, Gertrude Tenderich bought his patent for "tampons" (from a French word for plug) and started advertising a product "that enables you to be completely free of embarrassment, completely comfortable, completely sure of safe protection". These days we spend nearly $100 million a year on Libra, made by the Swedish company Sancella.

Australia's favourite toilet paper, Sorbent. We spend $250m a year on Sorbent, plus $200m on Kleenex Cottonelle and $100m on the rising star in the wiping business, Quilton. All are classic unnecessary products. Instead of reading this online, buy today's Sun-Herald for an alternative to supermarket excess.

What other everyday products can we do without?

David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). His latest book is Soffritto -- A delicious Ligurian memoir. For further observations of Australian attitudes and behaviour, go to www.smh.com.au/tribalmind.

by David Dale in Who We Are at 12:22 AM
Comments (35)

Friday, July 27, 2007

The ratings race: week 30

This blog is now a heritage item -- worth studying but no longer current. To join the latest discussion on media and popular culture, go to www.smh.com.au/tribalmind.

Updated 10 am Saturday
The daily media briefing from David Dale. To test your knowledge of the songs familiar to most Australians, go to Who We Are. To learn the difference between country people and city people, click here.

What Australia watched, Saturday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,229,000 334,000 325,000 235,000 138,000 196,000
2 NINE NEWS SAT Nine 1,194,000 339,000 334,000 255,000 148,000 118,000
3 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEO SHOW Nine 1,191,000 322,000 349,000 225,000 145,000 150,000
4 THE DAME EDNA TREATMENT Nine 1,013,000 291,000 333,000 162,000 91,000 137,000
5 THE GREAT OUTDOORS Seven 984,000 301,000 251,000 210,000 78,000 144,000
6 ABC NEWS-SAT ABC 967,000 266,000 319,000 172,000 107,000 103,000
7 SATURDAY NIGHT AFL Ten 964,000 147,000 391,000 152,000 135,000 140,000
9 DOCTOR WHO ABC 874,000 286,000 241,000 164,000 94,000 88,000
12 THE BILL ABC 764,000 194,000 254,000 127,000 93,000 97,000
16 PARKINSON ABC 609,000 177,000 178,000 90,000 94,000 71,000
18 SATURDAY AFTERNOON AFL Ten 576,000 53,000 267,000 57,000 86,000 114,000
23 2007 TOUR DE FRANCE STAGE 19 SBS 410,000 123,000 117,000 54,000 44,000 72,000
38 NERDS F.C. SBS 233,000 68,000 80,000 47,000 25,000 13,000
45 GREAT AUSTRALIAN ALBUMS SBS 202,000 49,000 65,000 40,000 24,000 25,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainlandcapitals)

Nine won Thursday, Seven won Friday (though not in court), NIne won Saturday and at the end of the week, the average prime time audience shares were Seven 27.2 per cent, Nine 25.9, Ten 23.0, ABC 17.0 and SBS 6.9.

What Australia watched, Friday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,447,000 364,000 386,000 249,000 179,000 269,000
2 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,346,000 317,000 399,000 221,000 173,000 236,000
3 NINE NEWS Nine 1,301,000 351,000 382,000 247,000 168,000 152,000
4 BIG BROTHER - FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE Ten 1,273,000 279,000 424,000 259,000 160,000 151,000
5 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,219,000 336,000 363,000 231,000 138,000 151,000
6 SILENT WITNESS ABC 1,134,000 319,000 357,000 205,000 123,000 131,000
7 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,124,000 370,000 384,000 228,000 142,000
8 BIG BROTHER Ten 1,110,000 258,000 363,000 193,000 156,000 140,000
12 AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL 5 Ten 1,026,000 242,000 333,000 199,000 136,000 116,000
13 NEIGHBOURS Ten 920,000 253,000 278,000 146,000 100,000 143,000
17 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 17: WESTERN BULLDOGS V WEST COAST Seven 807,000 21,000 351,000 9,000 130,000 295,000
21 NINE'S LIVE FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Nine 573,000 384,000 189,000
39 NINE'S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Nine 309,000 207,000 102,000

What Australia watched, Thursday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEA PATROL Nine 1,624,000 441,000 504,000 293,000 198,000 189,000
2 GETAWAY Nine 1,503,000 412,000 404,000 319,000 165,000 204,000
3 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,449,000 372,000 398,000 254,000 179,000 247,000
4 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,346,000 352,000 355,000 244,000 190,000 204,000
5 NINE NEWS Nine 1,246,000 356,000 364,000 275,000 144,000 107,000
6 LOST Seven 1,171,000 321,000 386,000 216,000 129,000 119,000
7 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,162,000 285,000 382,000 269,000 119,000 107,000
8 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,154,000 361,000 310,000 198,000 144,000 141,000
9 ABC NEWS ABC 1,128,000 330,000 329,000 194,000 126,000 149,000
10 THE FOOTY SHOW Nine 1,083,000 221,000 470,000 133,000 127,000 131,000
13 BIG BROTHER Ten 989,000 253,000 259,000 191,000 147,000 139,000
14 LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT RPT Ten 953,000 295,000 256,000 159,000 130,000 113,000
16 LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT Ten 883,000 283,000 227,000 145,000 118,000 109,000
18 NEIGHBOURS Ten 852,000 245,000 240,000 149,000 104,000 114,000
26 MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS' AGE OF LOVE Seven 545,000 167,000 169,000 83,000 65,000 61,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

What Australia watched, Wednesday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 THANK GOD YOU'RE HERE Ten 1,872,000 532,000 612,000 303,000 189,000 235,000
2 HOUSE Ten 1,753,000 496,000 549,000 257,000 223,000 228,000
3 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,610,000 421,000 449,000 283,000 193,000 264,000
4 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,476,000 392,000 394,000 257,000 195,000 238,000
5 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC 1,301,000 385,000 405,000 204,000 153,000 154,000
6 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,281,000 393,000 293,000 242,000 147,000 206,000
7 WITHOUT A TRACE Nine 1,258,000 395,000 385,000 186,000 141,000 151,000
8 COLD CASE Nine 1,217,000 374,000 339,000 245,000 106,000 153,000
9 TEMPTATION Nine 1,202,000 277,000 435,000 214,000 132,000 144,000
10 NINE NEWS Nine 1,189,000 331,000 332,000 243,000 153,000 131,000
11 MCLEOD'S DAUGHTERS Nine 1,156,000 319,000 320,000 207,000 171,000 139,000
12 POLICE FILES - UNLOCKED Seven 1,146,000 301,000 336,000 214,000 103,000 191,000
13 BIG BROTHER Ten 1,121,000 274,000 329,000 214,000 152,000 152,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

Updated 10 am Wednesday
Ten's decision to give Neighbours a makeover has worked. Last month it was averaging 830,000 viewers across the mainland capitals. On Monday, with a new family, different credits, and faster pace, it drew 1.05 million, and last night it drew 957,000. Assuming it does not continue to shed 48,000 viewers a night, the show that gave Kylie Minogue to the world is back in the land of the living.

Can you think of any other shows that might benefit from a revamp, and what should that revamp be?

What Australia watched, Tuesday
Description STN Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 RSPCA ANIMAL RESCUE Seven 1,653,000 458,000 473,000 273,000 170,000 279,000
2 MEDICAL EMERGENCY Seven 1,583,000 419,000 451,000 290,000 176,000 246,000
3 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,511,000 374,000 412,000 241,000 187,000 297,000
4 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,479,000 350,000 412,000 265,000 193,000 258,000
5 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,362,000 403,000 459,000 197,000 144,000 159,000
6 NINE NEWS Nine 1,298,000 350,000 360,000 293,000 180,000 115,000
12 THINGS TO TRY BEFORE YOU DIE Nine 1,139,000 343,000 332,000 199,000 134,000 131,000
15 BIG BROTHER Ten 1,073,000 265,000 328,000 198,000 133,000 149,000
18 NEIGHBOURS Ten 957,000 261,000 239,000 187,000 109,000 161,000
22 THE BILL ABC 783,000 224,000 241,000 146,000 59,000 113,000
25 NUMB3RS Ten 714,000 186,000 207,000 118,000 109,000 94,000
32 STANDOFF Seven 450,000 163,000 131,000 61,000 53,000 43,000
37 SUNRISE Seven 388,000 128,000 66,000 95,000 42,000 57,000
53 TODAY Nine 248,000 72,000 68,000 52,000 20,000 37,000
62 WORLD NEWS AUSTRALIA SBS 225,000 79,000 77,000 28,000 25,000 16,000
72 THE MORNING SHOW Seven 177,000 46,000 45,000 37,000 19,000 31,000
93 BIG BROTHER - UP LATE Ten 130,000 49,000 31,000 17,000 19,000 13,000
103 MORNINGS WITH KERRI-ANNE Nine 110,000 46,000 29,000 16,000 8,000 11,000
109 9AM WITH DAVID & KIM Ten 85,000 32,000 20,000 7,000 13,000 13,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

Updated 10 am Tuesday
Channel Seven has its A-list shows, like Desperate Housewives, which it rushes to air in February so it can win the first half of the year, and its B-list shows, like Las Vegas and Bones, which it holds over for months to plug holes in the second half, when the A-listers have run out.

The best of the B-listers started last night -- Criminal Minds -- and averaged a healthy 1.2 million over two hours. That clinched the night for Seven, which had come second to Nine on Sunday, and at this point in the week, the average prime time audience shares stand at Seven 27.4 per cent, Nine 25.5, Ten 20.7 (thanks more to Neighbours than to Big Brother), ABC 18.7 (thanks to a gangbusters episode of Australian Story), and SBS 7.7 (thanks to Top Gear).

What Australia watched, Monday
Description Network Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 BORDER SECURITY Seven 1,898,000 548,000 534,000 299,000 202,000 315,000
2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,679,000 457,000 434,000 289,000 224,000 275,000
3 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,586,000 428,000 421,000 301,000 207,000 230,000
4 SURF PATROL Seven 1,476,000 417,000 431,000 229,000 148,000 251,000
5 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,426,000 426,000 361,000 237,000 167,000 235,000
6 AUSTRALIAN STORY ABC 1,397,000 395,000 445,000 223,000 148,000 186,000
7 NINE NEWS Nine 1,394,000 384,000 446,000 264,000 174,000 125,000
8 1 VS 100 Nine 1,299,000 382,000 410,000 211,000 155,000 141,000
9 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,228,000 352,000 371,000 222,000 138,000 146,000
10 TEMPTATION Nine 1,191,000 327,000 393,000 194,000 135,000 142,000
11 CRIMINAL MINDS Seven 1,179,000 317,000 351,000 184,000 170,000 158,000
13 NEIGHBOURS Ten 1,048,000 290,000 345,000 168,000 129,000 116,000
14 BIG BROTHER LIVE NOMINATION Ten 1,037,000 268,000 302,000 225,000 127,000 114,000
17 LAW AND ORDER: SVU MON Ten 977,000 303,000 281,000 181,000 99,000 112,000
18 ENOUGH ROPE WITH ANDREW DENTON ABC 968,000 307,000 333,000 122,000 92,000 113,000
25 TOP GEAR SBS 829,000 237,000 264,000 142,000 110,000 76,000
27 TORCHWOOD Ten 673,000 208,000 198,000 112,000 76,000 79,000
29 BOSTON LEGAL Seven 633,000 224,000 177,000 70,000 97,000 66,000
34 SCRUBS Seven 420,000 152,000 124,000 50,000 59,000 35,000
41 FOOTY CLASSIFIED Nine 351,000 206,000 74,000 70,000
63 2007 TOUR DE FRANCE STAGE 15 SBS 239,000 82,000 60,000 28,000 25,000 44,000

Updated 10 am Monday July 23
To the surprise of many, the Australian drama Sea Patrol stayed happily afloat in its third week on air, and brought Channel Nine within a whisker of beating Channel Seven. Prime time audience shares over the week were Seven 27.5 per cent, Nine 27.0 per cent, Ten 22.5, ABC 16.7, SBS 6.3.

The other factor in Seven's current diminishment is Ten's performance on Wednesdays, when it pulls Seven's under-50 viewers over to Thank God You're Here and House, leaving the geriatrics to Nine's Cold Case and McLeod's Daughters.

Fortunately for Seven, the ABC is eating into Nine's elderly fan base on Sundays, drawing 1.4 million to the new season of Midsomer Murders. But with no Despos on Monday, and no form of talent quest on Tuesday night, Seven must be wondering if it will hold the line this week.

The most watched programs on Pay TV last week were Saturday's Aus v Japan soccer match, with213,000, and the Aus v Thailand match earlier in the week, with 201,000.

What Australia watched, Sunday
Description Network Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,664,000 536,000 452,000 262,000 237,000 178,000
2 60 MINUTES Nine 1,645,000 450,000 482,000 305,000 204,000 205,000
3 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,507,000 387,000 407,000 336,000 164,000 214,000
4 MIDSOMER MURDERS ABC 1,412,000 383,000 464,000 203,000 173,000 189,000
5 GREY'S ANATOMY Seven 1,410,000 453,000 398,000 243,000 148,000 168,000
6 BACKYARD BLITZ Nine 1,329,000 399,000 392,000 212,000 198,000 128,000
7 WHERE ARE THEY NOW Seven 1,315,000 374,000 345,000 265,000 146,000 185,000
8 CSI Nine 1,271,000 405,000 323,000 249,000 165,000 129,000
9 UGLY BETTY Seven 1,235,000 397,000 321,000 205,000 168,000 145,000
10 THE WORST JOBS IN HISTORY ABC 1,225,000 326,000 420,000 180,000 128,000 171,000
11 BIG BROTHER DOUBLE LIVE EVICTION Ten 1,153,000 325,000 343,000 197,000 156,000 133,000
11 ABC NEWS-SUN ABC 1,145,000 302,000 378,000 183,000 120,000 163,000
12 CSI: MIAMI Nine 1,145,000 356,000 296,000 225,000 149,000 119,000
13 ROVE IN NEW YORK Ten 1,043,000 274,000 370,000 124,000 123,000 153,000
14 BIG BROTHER SUN Ten 1,002,000 247,000 308,000 198,000 129,000 119,000
22 NINE'S SUNDAY FOOTBALL Nine 538,000 326,000 186,000 26,000
24 SURVIVOR: FIJI Nine 508,000 158,000 167,000 62,000 60,000 61,000
25 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 16: RICHMOND V PORT ADELAIDE Seven 473,000 18,000 222,000 13,000 148,000 72,000
26 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2007 Ten 465,000 146,000 148,000 59,000 55,000 57,000
32 SEVEN'S V8 SUPERCARS ROUND 7: QUEENSLAND RACEWAY D2 Seven 392,000 98,000 73,000 99,000 95,000 27,000

What Australia watched, week ending July 22
Description Network Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 THANK GOD YOU'RE HERE Ten 1,858,000 501,000 646,000 316,000 179,000 217,000
2 BORDER SECURITY Seven 1,830,000 533,000 547,000 279,000 188,000 283,000
3 SEA PATROL Nine 1,799,000 604,000 498,000 302,000 191,000 204,000
4 HOUSE Ten 1,754,000 530,000 571,000 267,000 179,000 207,000
5 60 MINUTES Nine 1,730,000 547,000 475,000 332,000 181,000 195,000
6 RSPCA ANIMAL RESCUE Seven 1,596,000 473,000 466,000 307,000 143,000 207,000
7 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,594,000 401,000 417,000 360,000 167,000 250,000
8 MEDICAL EMERGENCY Seven 1,587,000 447,000 470,000 316,000 150,000 203,000
9 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,565,000 504,000 464,000 273,000 184,000 140,000
10 GETAWAY Nine 1,544,000 445,000 461,000 294,000 170,000 174,000
11 SURF PATROL Seven 1,512,000 464,000 418,000 238,000 164,000 228,000
12 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,512,000 399,000 427,000 261,000 182,000 243,000
13 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES Seven 1,507,000 470,000 469,000 235,000 170,000 161,000
14 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,419,000 412,000 471,000 230,000 161,000 145,000
15 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,413,000 370,000 407,000 250,000 173,000 213,000
16 GREY'S ANATOMY Seven 1,403,000 401,000 453,000 250,000 135,000 164,000
17 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,395,000 444,000 440,000 197,000 144,000 170,000
18 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Nine 1,351,000 415,000 375,000 299,000 172,000 89,000
19 MIDSOMER MURDERS ABC 1,344,000 387,000 441,000 182,000 159,000 175,000
20 THINGS TO TRY BEFORE YOU DIE Nine 1,335,000 403,000 425,000 231,000 139,000 137,000
21 BIG BROTHER LIVE EVICTION Ten 1,331,000 334,000 427,000 250,000 142,000 178,000
22 THE SIMPSONS TUES Ten 1,314,000 307,000 456,000 234,000 163,000 154,000
23 NINE NEWS Nine 1,295,000 372,000 401,000 261,000 149,000 111,000
24 THAT '70S SHOW Seven 1,294,000 338,000 398,000 257,000 137,000 163,000
25 THE ALL NEW SIMPSONS Ten 1,284,000 314,000 415,000 230,000 161,000 164,000
26 NCIS Ten 1,273,000 328,000 404,000 237,000 151,000 153,000
27 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC 1,268,000 350,000 400,000 222,000 162,000 134,000
28 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,256,000 333,000 420,000 255,000 134,000 114,000
29 WHERE ARE THEY NOW Seven 1,246,000 322,000 368,000 242,000 129,000 185,000
30 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,241,000 378,000 329,000 219,000 129,000 186,000
31 LAW AND ORDER: SVU MON Ten 1,222,000 360,000 372,000 211,000 132,000 148,000
32 BIG BROTHER SUN Ten 1,218,000 294,000 411,000 225,000 130,000 158,000
33 TEMPTATION Nine 1,210,000 309,000 433,000 205,000 137,000 127,000
34 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,198,000 328,000 305,000 267,000 145,000 152,000
35 SILENT WITNESS ABC 1,195,000 318,000 380,000 204,000 129,000 163,000
36 POLICE FILES - UNLOCKED Seven 1,179,000 319,000 334,000 202,000 148,000 177,000
37 THE FORCE - BEHIND THE LINE Seven 1,173,000 342,000 334,000 200,000 125,000 171,000
38 CSI Nine 1,164,000 357,000 312,000 214,000 152,000 130,000
39 COLD CASE Nine 1,159,000 343,000 348,000 218,000 121,000 129,000
40 1 VS 100 Nine 1,140,000 312,000 370,000 166,000 160,000 132,000
(OzTAM mainland capitals)

by David Dale in The Tribal Mind at 12:00 AM
Comments (122)

Thursday, July 26, 2007

The Box Office: Harry hurts Harry

It seems Potter fans have been too busy to leave the house in recent days. Ticket sales for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix dropped 61 per cent in its second week, to $6.4 million. Apparently the fans did not have Hermione's power to be in two places at once.

But HPOP's total earnings of $26.9m in two weeks means it will go on to out-gross Shrek The Third, dropping out of the chart with $33.4 million, and Pirates 3, dropping out with $33.1m. To see how these fit with the highest grossing flicks of all time, go to The films Australia loved

Knocked Up apparently appeals to the kind of audience that doesn't stay home to read books. It dropped only 31 per cent in its third week, making $2.2 million (total $11.0m).

The little Aussie battlers struggled on, with Romulus My Father now totalling $2.4m, Clubland totalling $1.3m and Lucky Miles earning $160,000.

Pottermania has also overtaken the DVD sales chart. According to GFK Marketing, this was the top ten for last week:
1 HARRY POTTER & THE GOBLET OF FIRE
2 ROCKY BALBOA
3 HAPPY FEET
4 HARRY POTTER & THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN
5 PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 2 DEAD MANS CHEST
6 NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM
7 HARRY POTTER & THE PHILOSOPHERS STONE
8 GHOST RIDER
9 CARS
10 HARRY POTTER & THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS

To see how this fits with the top sellers of all time, go to The DVDs Australia loved.David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). His latest book is Soffritto -- A delicious Ligurian memoir. For further observations of Australian attitudes and behaviour, go to www.smh.com.au/tribalmind.

by David Dale in The Tribal Mind at 08:08 AM
Comments (4)

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

The Tribal Mind: We doubt they'd suit the office

by David Dale
FOR centuries (well, a century and a half, at least), Australians have been fascinated by the question of whether there is a fundamental difference between city people and country people. Henry Lawson explored the issue in a poem which pitted The Captain of The Push against The Bastard from The Bush. Banjo Paterson contrasted a life in the dirty dusty city, listening to "the language uninviting of the gutter children fighting'' with the countryman's ability to enjoy "the vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended, And at night the wondrous glory of the everlasting stars''.

These days we can tackle the question more scientifically, by comparing the six-monthly ratings report for regional Australia with the report for the mainland capitals. This is what they seem to show:

Country people prefer: McLeod's Daughters, A Current Affair, 1vs 100, My Name Is Earl, Backyard Blitz, Cold Case, What's Good For You, Motorway Patrol.

City people prefer: RPA, Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, All Saints, House, Today Tonight, Missing Persons Unit, SCU: Serious Crash Unit.

This might cause us to speculate that bushies are more traditional in their tastes, sentimental, nostalgic, and the last surviving fans of Eddie McGuire, while city slickers are paranoid sadistic hypochondriacs.

But before we lock in those answers, we may need to look more closely at what segment of society is actually covered by the so-called regional ratings. The research agency AGB Nielsen tells us there are 2,000 people-meter boxes attached to sets outside the mainland capitals, and their findings are designed to guide five media companies: NBN Limited, Prime Television, Seven Queensland, Southern Cross Broadcasting, and WIN Corporation.

When you study the maps on AGB Nielsen's site, you discover that "regional Australia'' actually means Tasmania, Victoria and the eastern half of NSW and Queensland. There are no people-meters outside the capitals of South Australia and Western Australia, and none in the Northern Territory.

So the lists above are not about the big smoke vs the outback at all -- just capitals vs towns.
Despite myths hanging over from the 19th century, Australia doesn't really have a "bush'' population any more. More than 80 per cent of us live within 50 kilometres of the sea. The Bureau of Statistics reports that less than 3 per cent of the population lives in areas defined as "remote''. We are the most urbanised -- or more precisely, the most suburbanised -- nation on the planet.

Finding out what the few remaining rustics watch is not worth the bother. Clancy of the Overflow and The Bastard From The Bush are dead -- or might as well be, since they don't watch television.

So we'll just have to leave the fundamental question with the poets, where it belongs.

Do you live in remote or regional Australia? How is television for you?

David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). His latest book is Soffritto -- A delicious Ligurian memoir. To join a daily discussion of Australian attitudes, go to http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.

by David Dale in The Tribal Mind at 10:40 AM
Comments (10)

Monday, July 23, 2007

Recoveries: Seven throws Rowe a bone

Two years ago Channel Nine poached the elegant newsreader Jessica Rowe from Channel Ten and made her co-host of its Today show. Briefed to try to emulate the giggling gerties on Seven's rival show Sunrise, she failed to raise the ratings. A few months later, Nine's boss Eddie McGuire made his contribution to 21st century media jargon by asking how quickly he could "bone" her (although he refuses to take credit for the neologism). Ultimately Rowe had a baby and arranged a nice little payout to sever her relationship with Nine.

Today's New Idea magazine reports that Rowe is about to do a Jamie Durie. She will work for for Channel Seven (as a newsreader) and skip the light fandango on Dancing With the Stars.

New Idea says her dancing will be to raise funds for the anti-depression organisation beyondblue. She says: "I suffered post-natal depression, not for long, but I did have it. At first I didn't want to acknowledge it. I knew it wasn't right and that it was more then being sleep deprived."

Rowe, 37, says her obstetrician recommended a psychiatrist. "I remember talking to her and sobbing," says Rowe, who had earlier co-written a book about depression with her mother. The quick action sped her recovery - and set her on the road to Seven, which hopefully will not demand that she laughs all the time.

We welcome your comments

in The Tribal Mind at 01:28 AM
Comments (13)

Sunday, July 22, 2007

WHO WE ARE: You know the words

A column about Australia by David Dale, published in The Sun-Herald, 22/7/2007
It's reasonable to assume the majority of people living on this continent can provide the last four words of this phrase "When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad, I simply remember my favourite things, and then I ...."

It is, of course, from The Sound of Music, which was seen by more people than any other film ever shown in Australian cinemas (yes, even more than Crocodile Dundee), had the highest audience share of any film ever broadcast on television, and sold in the hundreds of thousands on video and DVD. The songs of TSOM are embedded in the psyche of Australians, amongst the clutter of assumptions, ideas, stories, jokes and half-remembered historical details that make up our shared culture.

What other songs can we assume most Australians hold in their minds? That's the topic today. This column was inspired by an announcement from Channel Nine that it will do a local version of the American hit show The Singing Bee, in which contestants complete the lyrics to supposedly familiar tunes. It seems to be a hybrid of Spicks and Specks, It Takes Two and a night in a karaoke bar. Channel Nine will have the problem of choosing material with which the viewers at home will have the best chance of joining in. We're here to help.

After research into the most popular albums, movies and TV shows of the past four decades, I've constructed a test of your familiarity with the shared culture. I commend it to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship. You simply have to sing the next four words in each of these lines:

1. Yes, I've been brokenhearted, blue since the day we parted. Why, why did I ....
2. Met a girl, crazy for me. Met a boy, cute as can be. Summer days, drifting away to ....
3. If I lay here, if I just lay here, would you lie with me and ....
4. How long can we look at each other down the ....
5. Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be, there's a ....
6. I guess I'll go on home, it's late, there'll be ....
7. I don't think that I can take it, cos it took so long to bake it and I'll never ...
8. It's like you're always stuck in second gear. When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month ....
9. Drove my chevy to the levee but ....
10. I thought love was only true in fairy tales, meant for someone else ....
11. I would have liked to know you, but I was just a kid. Your candle burned out long before ....

Clues: Australia's all-time best selling albums include John Farnham's Whispering Jack, Abba Gold, and The Beatles 1; our best selling single was Elton John's Candle in the Wind; our most downloaded digital single of the past 12 months was Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol (also heard in Grey's Anatomy); our most watched TV sitcom was Friends; and our most seen movies included Pretty Woman, the Shrek trilogy, and Grease.

There's no prize here, just the satisfaction of being in tune with the mass psyche (or, if you got none right, the satisfaction of knowing you're an individualist). To find the answers, click here. To discuss what other songs might be part of the shared culture of Australia, go below.

by David Dale in Who We Are at 06:04 AM
Comments (10)

Saturday, July 21, 2007

The ratings race: week 29

This blog is now a heritage item -- worth studying but no longer current. To join the latest discussion on media and popular culture, go to www.smh.com.au/tribalmind.

Updated 10 am Sunday
The daily media briefing from David Dale. To join our running commentary on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, go here

Nine won Saturday but fell just short of winning the week. Seven's rugby union (Aus v NZ for the Bledisloe Cup) attracted 393,000 in Sydney but only 804,000 across the mainland capitals; while Ten's AFL (West Coast vs Sydney) drew 171,000 in Sydney and 922,000 across the capitals. The soccer figures are in next week's column, at the top of www.smh.com.au/tribal;mind.

What Australia watched, Saturday
Description Network Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Nine 1,351,000 415,000 375,000 299,000 172,000 89,000
2 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,198,000 328,000 305,000 267,000 145,000 152,000
3 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEO SHOW Nine 1,140,000 284,000 384,000 199,000 158,000 113,000
4 THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION -RPT Nine 1,082,000 311,000 353,000 164,000 115,000 138,000
5 ABC NEWS-SAT ABC 988,000 286,000 329,000 166,000 113,000 94,000
6 THE DAME EDNA TREATMENT Nine 983,000 319,000 279,000 173,000 125,000 86,000
7 SATURDAY NIGHT AFL Ten 922,000 171,000 298,000 61,000 116,000 276,000
8 NEW TRICKS RPT ABC 874,000 295,000 236,000 146,000 90,000 107,000
9 THE BILL ABC 872,000 249,000 280,000 151,000 80,000 113,000
10 DOCTOR WHO ABC 839,000 239,000 229,000 179,000 103,000 89,000
12 SEVEN'S R.U: BLEDISLOE CUP : N Z V AUS Seven 804,000 393,000 100,000 211,000 39,000 61,000
13 TEN NEWS AT FIVE SAT Ten 789,000 191,000 238,000 155,000 205,000
14 SATURDAY AFTERNOON AFL Ten 714,000 64,000 284,000 48,000 117,000 201,000
21 M-PRETTY WOMAN Seven 444,000 247,000 104,000 93,000
22 GREAT COMEDY CLASSICS Seven 442,000 225,000 217,000
26 M-ALONG CAME A SPIDER Seven 305,000 180,000 125,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

At this point in the week, Seven is averaging 28.0 per cent of the prime time audience, with Nine on 26.6, Ten on 22.7, ABC on 16.3 and SBS on 6.4.

The AFL gave Seven a victory on Friday, but tonight Nine pits Edna Everage and The Shawshank Redemption against Seven's Comedy Classics and Along Came A Spider. Care to predict the week?

Description Network Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,425,000 390,000 394,000 256,000 166,000 220,000
2 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,395,000 444,000 440,000 197,000 144,000 170,000
3 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,370,000 352,000 430,000 236,000 152,000 200,000
4 NINE NEWS Nine 1,256,000 378,000 359,000 253,000 155,000 111,000
5 SILENT WITNESS ABC 1,195,000 318,000 380,000 204,000 129,000 163,000
9 BIG BROTHER - FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE Ten 1,116,000 256,000 332,000 243,000 154,000 132,000
11 BIG BROTHER Ten 921,000 219,000 261,000 195,000 130,000 116,000
13 NEIGHBOURS Ten 870,000 233,000 238,000 188,000 107,000 104,000
14 AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL 5 Ten 867,000 221,000 268,000 161,000 106,000 110,000
18 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 16: GEELONG V WESTERN BULLDOGS Seven 720,000 31,000 449,000 10,000 122,000 109,000
21 NINE'S LIVE FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Nine 585,000 370,000 214,000
23 AIRLINE Nine 525,000 294,000 109,000 122,000

Updated 10 am Friday
Despite the dire predictions of this column's readers, Sea Patrol is happily afloat, boosting its audience last night and putting Channel Nine within a few breaths of winning the week. Seven, which got no help from the finals of Lost or from The Poo's romantic adventures, is averaging 27.7 per cent of the prime time audience, with Nine on 27.2, Ten on 22.7, ABC on 15.9 and SBS on 6.5.

The AFL will give Seven a victory tonight, but tomorrow Nine pits Edna Everage and The Shawshank Redemption against Seven's Comedy Classics and Along Came A Spider. Care to predict the week?

What Australia watched, Thursday
1. Sea Patrol Nine 1.798
2. Getaway Nine 1.516
3. Seven News Seven 1.398
4. Today Tonight Seven 1.319
5. That 70s Show Seven 1.294
6. Nine News Nine 1.181
7. Temptation Nine 1.153
8. A Current Affair Nine 1.139
9. Home and Away Seven 1.128
10. The Footy Show Nine 1.092
11. ABC News ABC 1.052
12. Lost Seven 1.040
13. Law and Order: CI - 9:30pm repeat Ten 1.024
14. Big Brother Ten 1.023
15. Law and Order: CI - 8:30pm Ten 0.921
18 MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS' AGE OF LOVE Seven 888,000
23 BRAT CAMP ABC 743,000
24 PIRATE MASTER Ten 622,000
26 LOST: THE ANSWERS Seven 528,000
28 RALPH TV Nine 478,000
31 INSPECTOR REX RPT SBS 453,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

What Australia watched, Wednesday
Description Network Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 THANK GOD YOU'RE HERE Ten 1,845,000 496,000 641,000 315,000 178,000 215,000
2 HOUSE Ten 1,764,000 534,000 575,000 268,000 179,000 208,000
3 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,537,000 420,000 382,000 268,000 193,000 274,000
4 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,420,000 381,000 394,000 253,000 183,000 209,000
5 NINE NEWS Nine 1,333,000 375,000 435,000 248,000 151,000 124,000
6 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,314,000 329,000 470,000 252,000 129,000 133,000
7 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,259,000 383,000 344,000 203,000 141,000 188,000
8 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC 1,255,000 346,000 395,000 220,000 160,000 133,000
9 TEMPTATION Nine 1,216,000 275,000 448,000 216,000 139,000 138,000
10 ABC NEWS ABC 1,182,000 334,000 399,000 183,000 128,000 138,000
11 POLICE FILES - UNLOCKED Seven 1,179,000 319,000 334,000 202,000 148,000 177,000
12 THE FORCE - BEHIND THE LINE Seven 1,173,000 342,000 334,000 200,000 125,000 171,000
13 COLD CASE Nine 1,167,000 342,000 348,000 222,000 127,000 128,000
14 MCLEOD'S DAUGHTERS Nine 1,122,000 266,000 348,000 225,000 157,000 126,000
15 WITHOUT A TRACE Nine 1,078,000 322,000 335,000 161,000 131,000 130,000
16 BIG BROTHER Ten 1,053,000 232,000 346,000 212,000 136,000 127,000
18 M-NATIONAL TREASURE Seven 974,000 271,000 306,000 161,000 132,000 104,000
38 THE NATION Nine 363,000 115,000 109,000 54,000 41,000 44,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

Ten won Wednesday, and at this point in the week, Seven is averaging 28.0 per cent of the prime time audience, with Nine on 25.7, Ten on 23.3, ABC on 16.4 and SBS on 6.5.

Updated 10 am Wednesday
Australians apparently agreed with The New York Times in its assessment of Victoria Beckham: Coming To America. "If she can retain viewers past the first commercial break," said the NYT, "then the results will be conclusive: either there is a vast, media-controlling conspiracy afoot, or there is no such thing as celebrity ditz-fatigue". When Channel Nine showed VB:CTA last night, Australians did not stay beyond the first commercial break. They are clearly suffering from celebrity ditz-fatigue, but they can't get enough of cute animals cuddled by Wiggles. Maybe if Posh wore a purple skivvy ...

What Australia watched, Tuesday
Description Network Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 RSPCA ANIMAL RESCUE Seven 1,596,000 473,000 466,000 307,000 143,000 207,000
2 MEDICAL EMERGENCY Seven 1,587,000 447,000 470,000 316,000 150,000 203,000
3 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,535,000 411,000 457,000 256,000 175,000 236,000
4 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,419,000 412,000 471,000 230,000 161,000 145,000
5 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,400,000 354,000 410,000 241,000 187,000 208,000
6 NINE NEWS Nine 1,380,000 392,000 475,000 283,000 135,000 96,000
7 THINGS TO TRY BEFORE YOU DIE Nine 1,332,000 401,000 425,000 231,000 138,000 137,000
8 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,317,000 355,000 460,000 290,000 115,000 98,000
11 NCIS Ten 1,272,000 326,000 404,000 238,000 151,000 153,000
15 BIG BROTHER Ten 1,128,000 275,000 357,000 205,000 160,000 131,000
20 CROSSING JORDAN Seven 939,000 286,000 321,000 134,000 104,000 94,000
23 VICTORIA BECKHAM COMING TO AMERICA Nine 828,000 267,000 268,000 109,000 98,000 85,000
25 THE BILL ABC 773,000 225,000 240,000 141,000 73,000 94,000
37 SUNRISE Seven 392,000 134,000 83,000 92,000 30,000 52,000
47 2007 TOUR DE FRANCE STAGE 9 SBS 268,000 80,000 63,000 36,000 28,000 61,000
56 TODAY Nine 232,000 75,000 73,000 48,000 6,000 31,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

At this point in the week, Seven is averaging 28.5 per cent of the prime time audience, with Nine on 26.2, Ten on 21.9, ABC on 16.5 and SBS on 6.9.

Updated 10am Tuesday
The success story of Monday night was not the grand finale of The Despos, which barely scored above the series average, but the comedy motoring show Top Gear, which attracted 900,000 viewers to SBS -- probably a station record for a non-sporting program. SBS had better ensure its contract has TG locked up for future years, because Channel Nine is on the hunt and desperate.

What Australia watched, Monday
1. Border Security Seven 1.830m
2. Seven News Seven 1.664
3. Today Tonight Seven 1.554
4. Surf Patrol Seven 1.512
5. Desperate Housewives Seven 1.507
6. Home and Away Seven 1.405
7. A Current Affair Nine 1.345
8. Nine News Nine 1.312
9. Temptation Nine 1.260
10. Law and Order: SVU Ten 1.212
11. 1 vs 100 Nine 1.152
12. ABC News ABC 1.118
13. CSI repeat Nine 1.094
14. Brothers & Sisters Seven 1.088
15. Big Brother Ten 1.029
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

Updated 10 am, Monday
Global warming rocked the boat for the cops in Sea Patrol last week, not by causing freak waves but by tempting 300,000 of their viewers over to the ABC. The documentary The Great Global Warming Swindle pulled 1.1 million in the mainland capitals on Thursday night, and the debate that followed held onto 969,000 until 11pm -- an extraordinary result for the national broadcaster. Against it, Sea Patrol attracted 1.7 million, down from nearly 2 million the previous week.

It was a solid result for Nine but not enough to help it win the week, even with the 1.3 million who watched Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban on Saturday. The average prime time audience shares ended up as Seven 28.7 per cent, Nine 27.6, Ten 21.1, ABC 16.5 and SBS 6.1. SBS scored with Top Gear (753.000) and The Roman Empire (416,000)

Channel Ten began a Wednesday recovery when Thank Good You're Here passed on a healthy audience to Dr House. But Big Brother is suffering its worst season ever. At this nearly final stage, a BB episode should be at least in the ratings top 20. But BB's best manifestation last week was the Friday Night Games, ranked at No 42 for the week, with 1.08 million.

Strangely, BB enjoyed a resurgence on Sunday. Whether because of the insertion of the talk jock Kyle Sandilands, or because, even with this boring bunch of housemates, there is some curiosity about the winner, the eviction show suddenly approached the kind of numbers it was getting back in the glory days.

Thanks to Midsomer Murders and The Worst Jobs in History, the ABC captured 20.1 per cent of the prime time audience, but Nine won the night with 28.2 per cent.

What Australia watched, Sunday
Description Network Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 60 MINUTES Nine 1,735,000 549,000 477,000 332,000 182,000 196,000
2 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,590,000 397,000 414,000 362,000 168,000 249,000
3 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,563,000 504,000 462,000 273,000 185,000 140,000
4 GREY'S ANATOMY Seven 1,401,000 400,000 452,000 250,000 134,000 165,000
5 BIG BROTHER LIVE EVICTION Ten 1,354,000 340,000 435,000 253,000 144,000 182,000
6 MIDSOMER MURDERS ABC 1,344,000 387,000 441,000 182,000 159,000 175,000
7 WHERE ARE THEY NOW Seven 1,248,000 323,000 365,000 246,000 127,000 187,000
8 BIG BROTHER SUN Ten 1,211,000 292,000 409,000 224,000 129,000 157,000
9 CSI Nine 1,174,000 359,000 315,000 216,000 152,000 132,000
10 UGLY BETTY Seven 1,102,000 280,000 346,000 198,000 143,000 135,000
11 CSI: MIAMI Nine 1,098,000 337,000 323,000 172,000 152,000 114,000
13 THE WORST JOBS IN HISTORY ABC 1,057,000 298,000 316,000 165,000 134,000 144,000
21 HAMISH & ANDY'S REAL STORIES RPT Ten 728,000 169,000 270,000 109,000 70,000 110,000
23 NINE'S SUNDAY FOOTBALL Nine 534,000 333,000 184,000 17,000
24 SURVIVOR: FIJI Nine 516,000 157,000 179,000 54,000 65,000 61,000
27 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 15: HAWTHORN V RICHMOND Seven 417,000 10,000 298,000 11,000 97,000 1,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

What Australia watched, week ending July 14
Description Network Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 BORDER SECURITY Seven 1,867,000 507,000 546,000 328,000 193,000 294,000
2 IT TAKES TWO Seven 1,838,000 582,000 560,000 280,000 220,000 195,000
3 THANK GOD YOU'RE HERE 3 Ten 1,771,000 490,000 606,000 278,000 179,000 218,000
4 SURF PATROL Seven 1,694,000 480,000 495,000 290,000 161,000 268,000
5 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,689,000 367,000 541,000 374,000 173,000 234,000
6 60 MINUTES Nine 1,677,000 475,000 500,000 308,000 194,000 200,000
7 SEA PATROL Nine 1,662,000 482,000 492,000 311,000 194,000 183,000
8 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,642,000 540,000 434,000 302,000 216,000 149,000
9 GREY'S ANATOMY Seven 1,567,000 496,000 480,000 264,000 143,000 184,000
10 HOUSE Ten 1,517,000 405,000 507,000 233,000 172,000 201,000
11 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,464,000 479,000 467,000 190,000 177,000 152,000
12 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,461,000 374,000 397,000 271,000 178,000 241,000
13 WHERE ARE THEY NOW Seven 1,391,000 347,000 435,000 273,000 139,000 198,000
14 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,387,000 359,000 392,000 255,000 170,000 211,000
15 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES Seven 1,369,000 436,000 407,000 218,000 155,000 154,000
16 GETAWAY Nine 1,359,000 338,000 456,000 262,000 137,000 167,000
17 CSI Nine 1,354,000 401,000 380,000 248,000 174,000 151,000
18 HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN -RPT Nine 1,314,000 366,000 410,000 229,000 145,000 164,000
19 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC 1,290,000 394,000 364,000 232,000 145,000 154,000
20 HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER Seven 1,288,000 351,000 393,000 260,000 134,000 150,000
21 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,277,000 378,000 284,000 273,000 150,000 191,000
22 BACKYARD BLITZ Nine 1,275,000 410,000 313,000 246,000 166,000 140,000
23 NINE NEWS Nine 1,273,000 356,000 410,000 262,000 137,000 108,000
24 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,266,000 386,000 396,000 204,000 114,000 165,000
25 ABC NEWS-SUN ABC 1,241,000 388,000 393,000 202,000 118,000 140,000
26 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,236,000 342,000 327,000 230,000 141,000 196,000
27 1 VS 100 Nine 1,231,000 332,000 379,000 219,000 145,000 156,000
28 THE SIMPSONS TUES Ten 1,224,000 313,000 390,000 216,000 148,000 158,000
29 UGLY BETTY Seven 1,219,000 351,000 368,000 205,000 122,000 173,000
30 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,213,000 329,000 389,000 262,000 121,000 112,000
31 THE ALL NEW SIMPSONS Ten 1,209,000 301,000 368,000 227,000 160,000 153,000
32 CSI: MIAMI Nine 1,197,000 379,000 397,000 228,000 193,000
33 COLD CASE Nine 1,186,000 365,000 324,000 200,000 149,000 149,000
34 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEO SHOW Nine 1,158,000 304,000 360,000 215,000 156,000 123,000
35 POLICE FILES - UNLOCKED Seven 1,144,000 257,000 296,000 256,000 125,000 210,000
36 TEMPTATION Nine 1,134,000 298,000 397,000 215,000 109,000 115,000
37 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Nine 1,119,000 323,000 315,000 218,000 159,000 105,000
38 THE GREAT GLOBAL WARMING SWINDLE ABC 1,116,000 332,000 323,000 210,000 110,000 141,000
39 THAT '70S SHOW Seven 1,116,000 303,000 384,000 232,000 66,000 132,000
40 THE FORCE - BEHIND THE LINE Seven 1,113,000 279,000 290,000 230,000 110,000 202,000
41 WITHOUT A TRACE Nine 1,097,000 365,000 332,000 137,000 157,000 105,000
42 BIG BROTHER - FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE Ten 1,084,000 281,000 327,000 227,000 128,000 121,000
43 MCLEOD'S DAUGHTERS Nine 1,084,000 293,000 327,000 187,000 153,000 124,000
44 TAGGART ABC 1,081,000 314,000 335,000 174,000 107,000 151,000
45 CRIME & JUSTICE Nine 1,076,000 243,000 369,000 201,000 112,000 152,000
46 NCIS RPT Ten 1,067,000 307,000 315,000 184,000 114,000 147,000
47 ROBIN HOOD ABC 1,058,000 351,000 329,000 158,000 109,000 112,000
48 ABC NEWS ABC 1,057,000 284,000 351,000 180,000 106,000 136,000
49 LAW AND ORDER: SVU MON Ten 1,056,000 290,000 312,000 195,000 111,000 147,000
50 BIG BROTHER LIVE EVICTION Ten 1,055,000 263,000 292,000 222,000 131,000 148,000
51 LOST Seven 1,001,000 225,000 365,000 174,000 109,000 128,000
(OzTAM)

by David Dale in The Tribal Mind at 12:22 AM
Comments (103)

Friday, July 20, 2007

WHO WE ARE: the songs Australia knows best

by David Dale.
These are the answers to the Who We Are quiz about the songs most Australians would know.
1. Yes, I've been brokenhearted, blue since the day we parted. Why, why did I ever let you go? (From Abba's Mama Mia)
2. Met a girl, crazy for me, Met a boy, cute as can be. Summer days, drifting away to uh-oh those summer nights (From Summer Nights in Grease)
3. If I lay here, if I just lay here, would you lie with me and just forget the world. (From Snow Patrol's Chasing Cars)
4. Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be, there's a shadow hanging over me. (From Yesterday, by The Beatles)]
5. I guess I'll go on home, it's late, there'll be tomorrow night, but wait. (From Roy Orbison's Pretty Woman)
6. It's like you're always stuck in second gear. When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year. (From the Friends theme, by The Rembrandts)
7. I don't think that I can take it, cos it took so long to bake it and I'll never have that recipe again (from Macarthur Park, by Jim Webb, originally sung by Richard Harris)
8. How long can we look at each other down the barrel of a gun? (from You're The Voice, by John Farnham.)
9. Drove my chevy to the levee but the levee was dry. (From Don McLean's American Pie)
10. I thought love was only true in fairy tales, meant for someone else but not for me. (From I'm A Believer, by Neil Diamond, sung by Smash Mounth in Shrek.)
11. I would have liked to know you, but I was just a kid. Your candle burned out long before the legend ever did. (From Elton John's Candle in the Wind)
12. And the girl in the photo is Britney Spears, none of whose songs are among Australia's best knowns.

by David Dale in Who We Are at 06:04 AM
Comments (0)

Thursday, July 19, 2007

The Box Office: Harry in a hurry

Updated Friday July 20, 6am
The critics have been lukewarm about Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, saying it leaves out too much of the book, but clearly the fans have been talking it up bigtime. After pulling $4 million out of the hat on its first day in Australian cinemas (Wednesday), it went on to sell $12.9m worth of tickets between Thursday and Sunday and $16.3m in its first full week. So it has been seen by 2 million Australians (or one very enthusiastic kid 2 million times).

That didn't leave much pocket money for other holiday flicks, but Transformers made small change of $3.8 million over the week for a total of $22.3m, and Knocked Up delivered $3.3 million for a total of $8.8m. (Note: this column is committed to making as many puns about movie titles as can possibly fit into this bi-weekly analysis, and welcomes your suggestions. You might win the title "Guest Punisher of the Week".)

To see how these fit with the highest grossing flicks of all time, and the final scores for Shrek The Third and Pirates 3, go to The films Australia loved

Updated Thursday July 12, 5pm
On Wednesday, his first day in Australian cinemas, Harry Potter sold $4.1 million worth of tickets. That's the fifth biggest opening in Australian history, putting HP and the Order of the Phoenix behind three Lord of the Rings flicks and The Matrix Reloaded.

Conventional wisdom in the film distribution business holds that if a movie's ticket sales drop by less than a third from one week to the next, it must be enjoying good word of mouth out there among the customers. On that criterion, the worst w.o.m among top ten movies last week was for Transformers, which dropped 38 per cent in its takings (to $7.08 million, for a total of $18.5m), and the best w.o.m was for Nancy Drew, which rose 21 per cent (to $937,000 and a total of $1.9m) and Bridge to Terabithia, which rose 1 per cent (to $1.28m, total $5.0m).

In its fifth week, Shrek The Third dropped only 17 per cent (to $2.9m and a total of $31.4m). The school holidays were also kind to The Fantastic Four, who dropped only 17 per cent in their third week ($1.9m for a total of $8.3m).

Knocked Up had a healthy birth, taking $5.1 million in its first week in an impressive demonstration of Izzie-power. Romulus My Father has now crossed the $2 million mark and can be certified a palpable Aussie hit. It will be a longer road for Clubland, which dropped 31 per cent in its second week ($337,000, total $958,000).

David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). For further discussion of Australian attitudes and behaviour, go to www.smh.com.au/tribalmind.

by David Dale in The Tribal Mind at 12:18 AM
Comments (0)

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

The Tribal Mind: Kevin and Seven in a climate for change

by David Dale
A FEW weeks back this column noted how the fortunes of Channel Nine were matching the fortunes of John Howard, as he tries to convince voters he is Still The One, while Kevin Rudd's fortunes match those of Channel Seven, which has convinced viewers it is ready for the future, but may have peaked too early.

We suggested pundits seeking to predict the November election should ignore the conventional polls and instead track the ratings performances of the two biggest networks.

Clearly this has been on the mind of Channel Nine, which yesterday put out a statement referring to "the climate change currently occurring in the market place as the Nine Network continues to deliver a consistent and stable audience''. Nine expects its audience to grow now that Seven's key programs are ending their seasons -- just as Howard hopes Rudd has no new promises requiring adoption as Liberal policy.

Nine's statement was part of the festival of misdirection, euphemism and obfuscation which always accompanies the release of the networks' half yearly ratings reports. This year Nine and Ten are competing for the record of how many different ways it is possible to say "We didn't really screw up -- it only looks that way''.

Nine's PR people believe that if they use the word "stellar'' often enough, no-one will notice that in terms of audience share, their network has suffered the worst first half in its history. Here's how they describe the first 20 weeks of the ratings year: "Sundays and Saturdays were also stellar days for the Network with All People wins on 15 and 14 days respectively. Recent weeks saw the launch of the new stellar Australian drama Sea Patrol -- the Number 1 program for Total People nationally.''

This is true enough, but here's a less stellar way to describe the first half: Nine's share of commercial viewers dropped from 35.4 per cent to 34.8 per cent, while Seven's rose from 35.9 per cent to 37.5 per cent.

Ten, whose commercial share fell from 28.7 to 27.6, put out a release boasting that it was "very competitive in 18-49, winning 16-39, tanking in over-50s''. It began the year announcing that its target audience was now viewers aged 18-49, but since Seven won the first half with that group, Ten has re-embraced last year's target of 16-39s, and makes a virtue of having less than 16 per cent of the over 50s.

If we were to continue the political analogy with which we started this column, we'd have to compare Ten with Peter Costello: perpetually Number Three in the most-talked-about race, and perpetually poised to take advantage of any losses suffered by either of the Big Two.

Do you think the political/televisual comparison is fair? Is it conceivable that Nine could lose the year while John Howard wins the election?

The most watched series so far this year
1. Sea Patrol Nine 1.824m
2. Dancing with the Stars Seven 1.818
3. Border Security - Monday Seven 1.805
4. Thank God You're Here Ten 1.771
5. Surf Patrol Seven 1.694
6. It Takes Two Seven 1.603
7. RPA Nine 1.544
8. Seven News - Sunday Seven 1.519
9. 60 Minutes Nine 1.510
10. Grey's Anatomy Seven 1.495
11. Border Security - Wednesday Seven 1.493
12. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Nine 1.474
13. Seven News - Monday-Friday Seven 1.467
14. Australia's Got Talent Seven 1.451
15. Nine News - Sunday Nine 1.434
16. Desperate Housewives Seven 1.418
17. All Saints Seven 1.409
18. RPA Where Are They Now Nine 1.403
19. Where Are They Now Seven 1.402
20. House Ten 1.393
21. Today Tonight Seven 1.384
22. CSI: Miami Nine 1.382
23. Ugly Betty Seven 1.377
24. The Chaser's War on Everything ABC 1.323
25. 1 vs 100 Nine 1.323
26. Missing Persons Unit Nine 1.276
27. SCU: Serious Crash Unit Seven 1.274
28. Backyard Blitz Nine 1.272
29. The Rich List Seven 1.255
30. McLeod's Daughters Nine 1.247
(OzTAM mainland capitals)

To discuss whether the new Harry Potter book lives up to expectations, go to the Hallows.

by David Dale in The Tribal Mind at 10:14 AM
Comments (13)

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Precedents: Eddie's found a licence to sue

Eddie McGuire, favourite whipping boy of the print media (though not this column, of course) has threatened News Ltd with legal action over a report he attempted to jump the queue at a Roads and Traffic Authority office.

The Sunday Telegraph yesterday reported the former Nine boss had demanded star treatment last week when renewing his driver's licence at Bondi Junction RTA, seeking to be let into the building early and to push ahead of other customers.

"I'm actually going to take legal action against News Ltd over what is a complete fabrication," McGuire told Southern Cross Broadcasting yesterday.

"I've never been to the RTA down there. I have a licence that's actually not expiring until 2011. And when they allege that I made the two phone calls, one, I was overseas and the second time I was actually on air on the Today show last Monday."

We welcome your comments

in The Tribal Mind at 08:53 PM
Comments (3)

WHO WE ARE: There is nothing like a dame

A column about Australia by David Dale, published in The Sun-Herald, 15/7/2007
If you've lived on this planet very long, you've probably formed the theory that women operate differently from men. We know, for example, that women are more likely than men to be visiting a library, seeing a doctor, seeking a divorce, sexually assaulted, walking for exercise, over 70, at the movies, and using contraception, but less likely to be murdered, in jail, watching sport, paying golf, dying of cancer and injured in an accident.

The recently published census figures give precise data on many other gender differences, but raise many enigmas. Why, for example, are Australian women more likely to be Buddhists than men, and less likely to describe themselves as having no religion?

Why are women far more likely than men to do more than 15 hours a week of unpaid housework? Why are women more likely to speak Japanese at home, and less likely to speak Arabic? Why are women more likely to have completed year 12 at school? And more likely to be the only adult in a house with two dependent children?

There's no mystery in the census revelation that there are 200,000 more women than men in Australia, and more women living alone, and more women with disabilities. It's a fact of nature that males die earlier, leaving females to rattle around in houses that are way too big for them, growing increasingly fragile and dependent on outside help.

And we're not really shocked to learn that there are 684,000 households described as "lone parent (female)" compared with 139,400 "lone parent (male)". Australia is a society with traditional ideas about who is better equipped to do the nurturing.

Nor is the news about housework utterly astonishing - 2.2 million males over the age of 15 say they do less than five hours unpaid domestic work a week, while 2.9 million women say they do more than 15 hours of unpaid domestic work a week. Women are just fussier about cleanliness than men. Or possibly men are more modest, preferring to give the credit to their partners when filling out the census form, while the women who filled in the form vented their frustration against their lazy partners by exaggerating how little effort the men made about the house.

It's the religious details that pose the particular puzzle. Apparently Australia has 222,500 female Buddhists and only 196,200 male Buddhists; and 2.66 million female Catholics and 2.46 million male Catholics. The only categories in which men dominate are "No religion" (1.98 million men, 1.73 million women); Hinduism (79,900 men, 68,300 women); and Islam (178,000 men, 163,000 women - and, by the way, aren't those numbers small in comparison with all the publicity this faith receives?).

Are we entitled to conclude from all of this that women are smarter, harder-working, more responsible and more spiritual than men -- or do they just give the kind of answers on census forms that imply they are superior beings? I'd be interested to hear your theories.

And for what else the census reveals, click here. To test your knowledge of the songs famiar to most Australians, go to Who We Are.

by David Dale in Who We Are at 07:14 AM
Comments (44)

Thursday, July 12, 2007

The ratings race: Week 28

This blog is now a heritage item -- worth studying but no longer current. To join the latest discussion on media and popular culture, go to www.smh.com.au/tribalmind.

Updated 10 am Sunday
The daily media briefing from David Dale. To discuss how DVDs killed the video star, click here

Pottermania brought a huge audience to Channel Nine on Saturday night, but Seven's performance for the rest of the week was so strong, the final averages turned out to be Seven 28.7 per cent of the prime time audience, Nine 27.6, Ten 21.1, ABC 16.5 and SBS 6.1.

What Australia watched, Saturday
Description Network Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN -RPT Nine 1,314,000 366,000 410,000 229,000 145,000 164,000
2 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,277,000 378,000 284,000 273,000 150,000 191,000
3 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEO SHOW Nine 1,158,000 304,000 360,000 215,000 156,000 123,000
4 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Nine 1,119,000 323,000 315,000 218,000 159,000 105,000
5 THE GREAT OUTDOORS Seven 983,000 327,000 199,000 210,000 113,000 134,000
10 DOCTOR WHO ABC 792,000 218,000 256,000 156,000 91,000 70,000
11 The BILL ABC 784,000 250,000 250,000 121,000 69,000 93,000
13 SATURDAY AFTERNOON AFL Ten 704,000 72,000 356,000 57,000 94,000 125,000
15 SATURDAY NIGHT AFL Ten 658,000 379,000 93,000 100,000 86,000
20 HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX (Making of) Nine 527,000 175,000 142,000 113,000 46,000 51,000
32 LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT SAT RPT Ten 255,000 110,000 66,000 30,000 49,000
42 2007 TOUR DE FRANCE STAGE 7 SBS 196,000 53,000 55,000 33,000 28,000 26,000
43 NERDS F.C. SBS 194,000 71,000 56,000 31,000 23,000 13,000

Updated 10 am Saturday
Even Harry Potter and his mate Sirius will have trouble saving Channel Nine this week. Last Saturday Harry and his secretive chamber snatched victory from the jaws of defeat for Nine, but as of Saturday morning, the average prime time audience shares stand at Seven 29.6 per cent, Nine 26.8, Ten 21.1, ABC 16.3 and SBS 6.2.

What Australia watched, Friday
Description Network Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,392,000 348,000 382,000 279,000 182,000 201,000
2 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,303,000 325,000 370,000 248,000 184,000 176,000
3 NINE NEWS Nine 1,228,000 355,000 399,000 236,000 116,000 121,000
4 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,163,000 333,000 397,000 201,000 107,000 125,000
5 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,152,000 386,000 396,000 204,000 165,000
6 TEMPTATION Nine 1,094,000 315,000 377,000 213,000 92,000 97,000
7 BIG BROTHER - FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE Ten 1,084,000 281,000 327,000 227,000 128,000 121,000
8 TAGGART ABC 1,081,000 314,000 335,000 174,000 107,000 151,000
12 BIG BROTHER Ten 869,000 230,000 250,000 204,000 93,000 93,000
16 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 15: ST KILDA V ADELAIDE Seven 802,000 41,000 409,000 18,000 226,000 108,000
18 NINE'S LIVE FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Nine 692,000 363,000 329,000
21 AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL 5 Ten 645,000 186,000 175,000 122,000 88,000 74,000
28 M-PRETTY WOMAN Seven 444,000 295,000 149,000
33 NINE'S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Nine 343,000 202,000 140,000

Updated 10 am Friday July 13
A loss of 300,000 viewers in the mainland capitals is affordable for Channel Nine, since a diminished Sea Patrol still helped it to win the night, and next Thursday, the ABC won't have another Great Global Warming Swindle to distract the socially-concerned viewers. Certainly Nine suffered no damage from Seven's reality show about the alleged love life of The Poo.

The Swindle doco and the debate that followed gave the ABC one of its best nights this decade -- 19.7 per cent of the prime time audience, while Ten could only manage 18.8 per cent. At this point, the average shares for the week are Seven 29.4 per cent, Nine 27.1, Ten 21.2, ABC 16.1, and SBS 6.2.

What Australia watched, Thursday
Description Network Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEA PATROL Nine 1,663,000 482,000 491,000 312,000 195,000 183,000
2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,385,000 359,000 368,000 259,000 181,000 218,000
3 GETAWAY Nine 1,357,000 338,000 456,000 262,000 134,000 168,000
4 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,329,000 363,000 397,000 241,000 144,000 183,000
5 HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER Seven 1,288,000 351,000 393,000 260,000 134,000 150,000
6 NINE NEWS Nine 1,219,000 328,000 409,000 250,000 128,000 104,000
7 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,215,000 331,000 339,000 240,000 138,000 167,000
8 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,193,000 288,000 410,000 257,000 130,000 108,000
9 THE GREAT GLOBAL WARMING SWINDLE ABC 1,120,000 333,000 324,000 210,000 110,000 142,000
10 THAT '70S SHOW Seven 1,116,000 303,000 384,000 232,000 66,000 132,000
13 LOST Seven 1,001,000 225,000 365,000 174,000 109,000 128,000
14 THE FOOTY SHOW Nine 998,000 247,000 478,000 86,000 102,000 86,000
15 THE GREAT GLOBAL WARMING SWINDLE DEBATE ABC 985,000 327,000 276,000 154,000 105,000 124,000
16 BIG BROTHER Ten 973,000 231,000 264,000 238,000 115,000 126,000
19 LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT RPT Ten 898,000 249,000 252,000 161,000 124,000 111,000
22 MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS' AGE OF LOVE Seven 849,000 240,000 293,000 125,000 95,000 95,000
27 PIRATE MASTER Ten 641,000 159,000 159,000 140,000 85,000 98,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

Updated 10 am Thursday
Panicky comedians and a grumpy doctor won Wednesday night for Channel Ten, which snared 27.8 per cent of the prime time audience (to Seven's 26.0 and Nine's 25.4). That pretty much eliminates Nine's prospects of winning another week, even if Blue Heelers at Sea repeats its spectacular debut performance tonight. At this point, the average prime time shares of audience for the week are Seven 30.3 per cent, Nine 26.3, Ten 21.8, ABC 15.2, and SBS 6.3.

What Australia watched, Wednesday
Description Network Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 THANK GOD YOU'RE HERE 3 Ten 1,785,000 494,000 613,000 280,000 179,000 219,000
2 HOUSE Ten 1,511,000 402,000 504,000 232,000 171,000 200,000
3 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,416,000 350,000 393,000 267,000 159,000 247,000
4 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,345,000 324,000 392,000 240,000 159,000 230,000
5 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC 1,289,000 395,000 365,000 232,000 146,000 151,000
6 NINE NEWS Nine 1,278,000 354,000 418,000 269,000 140,000 98,000
7 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,242,000 344,000 376,000 288,000 124,000 109,000
8 COLD CASE Nine 1,186,000 365,000 324,000 200,000 149,000 148,000
9 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,157,000 323,000 305,000 199,000 138,000 193,000
10 POLICE FILES - UNLOCKED Seven 1,144,000 257,000 296,000 256,000 125,000 210,000
11 THE FORCE - BEHIND THE LINE Seven 1,113,000 279,000 290,000 230,000 110,000 202,000
15 MCLEOD'S DAUGHTERS Nine 1,083,000 293,000 327,000 187,000 153,000 123,000
17 BIG BROTHER Ten 963,000 245,000 257,000 186,000 140,000 136,000
18 THE CHASER'S WAR ON REPEATS ABC 923,000 276,000 274,000 156,000 98,000 119,000
26 M-DIE ANOTHER DAY Seven 529,000 332,000 94,000 103,000
32 THE NATION Nine 418,000 126,000 161,000 56,000 49,000 26,000
35 THE UNIT Seven 411,000 150,000 113,000 85,000 40,000 24,000
38 PRISON BREAK - ON THE RUN Seven 392,000 241,000 151,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

Updated 10 am Wednesday
Channel Ten has every chance of winning tonight, with the return of Thank God You're Here and a new ep of House, and after last night's record figure for Seven's It Takes Two, there seems little chance Nine can repeat last week's win, even if Sea Patrol holds its crowd tomorrow.

What Australia watched, Tuesday
Description Network Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 IT TAKES TWO Seven 1,838,000 582,000 560,000 280,000 220,000 195,000
2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,500,000 379,000 414,000 261,000 188,000 258,000
3 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,464,000 479,000 467,000 190,000 177,000 152,000
4 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,365,000 359,000 375,000 245,000 183,000 204,000
5 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,253,000 365,000 312,000 238,000 143,000 195,000
6 NINE NEWS Nine 1,229,000 347,000 390,000 241,000 150,000 102,000
7 THE ALL NEW SIMPSONS Ten 1,222,000 304,000 375,000 229,000 160,000 154,000
8 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,221,000 333,000 386,000 266,000 124,000 113,000
11 CRIME & JUSTICE Nine 1,082,000 246,000 374,000 203,000 109,000 151,000
13 NCIS RPT Ten 1,064,000 305,000 316,000 183,000 113,000 146,000
14 BIG BROTHER Ten 1,011,000 267,000 251,000 220,000 131,000 142,000
17 NUMB3RS Ten 918,000 233,000 296,000 152,000 134,000 103,000
19 CSI: MIAMI -RPT Nine 848,000 198,000 274,000 170,000 107,000 98,000
22 THE BILL-TU ABC 724,000 208,000 214,000 134,000 69,000 99,000
25 MURIEL'S WEDDING -RPT Nine 564,000 185,000 211,000 54,000 54,000 60,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

Updated 10am Tuesday
Elton John's confessions of naughty behaviour with John Lennon and others gave Andrew Denton the biggest audience in the 9.30 timeslot last night, pulling viewers from Brothers and Sisters and the fast-fading Torchwood, and giving the ABC a healthy 15.9 per cent of the prime time audience. And SBS had one of its best nights of the year -- 8 per cent of the prime time audience -- thanks to Top Gear.

But it was Seven's night, with Border Security and the Despos cutting the lead Nine had established on Sunday and leaving the shares for the week so far as Seven 29.7 per cent, Nine 28.6, Ten 18.6, ABC 15.9, and SBS 7.2.

What Australia watched, Monday
Description Network Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 BORDER SECURITY Seven 1,867,000 507,000 546,000 328,000 193,000 294,000
2 SURF PATROL Seven 1,694,000 480,000 495,000 290,000 161,000 268,000
3 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,613,000 436,000 429,000 289,000 180,000 279,000
4 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,584,000 420,000 423,000 302,000 179,000 260,000
5 NINE NEWS Nine 1,392,000 396,000 431,000 304,000 144,000 117,000
6 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,376,000 370,000 363,000 266,000 148,000 229,000
7 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES Seven 1,369,000 436,000 407,000 218,000 155,000 154,000
8 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,251,000 347,000 380,000 294,000 128,000 102,000
9 1 VS 100 Nine 1,217,000 330,000 373,000 220,000 143,000 152,000
12 LAW AND ORDER: SVU MON Ten 1,057,000 292,000 310,000 197,000 114,000 145,000
13 CSI RPT Nine 1,026,000 282,000 331,000 156,000 137,000 120,000
14 ENOUGH ROPE WITH ANDREW DENTON ABC 966,000 288,000 302,000 146,000 96,000 134,000
17 I AM A CHILD GENIUS Nine 947,000 295,000 266,000 181,000 98,000 106,000
18 BROTHERS & SISTERS Seven 944,000 270,000 325,000 143,000 112,000 95,000
19 BIG BROTHER Ten 931,000 255,000 259,000 184,000 110,000 123,000
20 BIG BROTHER LIVE NOMINATION Ten 919,000 248,000 256,000 187,000 120,000 107,000
21 NEIGHBOURS Ten 869,000 244,000 269,000 142,000 81,000 133,000
25 AUSTRALIAN STORY ABC 807,000 230,000 232,000 168,000 89,000 88,000
27 TORCHWOOD Ten 756,000 197,000 219,000 142,000 96,000 102,000
28 TOP GEAR SBS 753,000 237,000 221,000 126,000 76,000 93,000
45 FOOTY CLASSIFIED Nine 330,000 195,000 78,000 57,000

Updated 10am Monday July 9
This morning, when Channel Nine's beleaguered executives analyse how Nine came to win a second week of the TV ratings year, they might be tempted to credit Lisa McCune, star of Sea Patrol, which had a smashing debut last Thursday night. Or they might be tempted to credit Wednesday's State of Origin match, which pulled a huge audience without even being a decider. But they'd be wrong in both cases. They'd be better off believing in magic.

As of Saturday morning, Seven was winning the week. As of Sunday morning, the average prime time audience shares for the week were: Nine 29.3 per cent, Seven 28.6, Ten 20.7, ABC 16.1, and SBS 5.4.

What happened on Saturday night? Nine's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets beat the pants off Seven's rugby union match. This week neither Nine nor Seven has significant biffo, but on Thursday Nine has another dose of Blue Heelers At Sea and on Saturday, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkhaban. But on Wednesday, a new factor enters the equation: Ten reintroduces Thank God You're Here.

If you'd care to predict if Nine's winning streak will continue, go below.

What Australia watched, Sunday
Description Network Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 60 MINUTES Nine 1,682,000 477,000 502,000 309,000 195,000 200,000
2 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,680,000 359,000 539,000 376,000 173,000 234,000
3 NINE NEWS SUN Nine 1,642,000 540,000 436,000 302,000 216,000 148,000
4 GREY'S ANATOMY Seven 1,566,000 495,000 481,000 264,000 143,000 183,000
5 WHERE ARE THEY NOW Seven 1,397,000 346,000 436,000 276,000 141,000 198,000
6 CSI Nine 1,354,000 401,000 380,000 248,000 174,000 151,000
7 BACKYARD BLITZ Nine 1,276,000 409,000 315,000 246,000 166,000 141,000
8 UGLY BETTY Seven 1,242,000 357,000 376,000 211,000 123,000 175,000
9 ABC NEWS-SU ABC 1,237,000 387,000 391,000 201,000 118,000 139,000
10 CSI: MIAMI Nine 1,198,000 379,000 397,000 228,000 193,000
11 ROBIN HOOD ABC 1,057,000 351,000 328,000 158,000 108,000 112,000
12 BIG BROTHER LIVE EVICTION Ten 1,052,000 264,000 289,000 220,000 132,000 147,000
13 WHAT ABOUT BRIAN Seven 977,000 311,000 337,000 124,000 89,000 116,000
14 BIG BROTHER SUN Ten 967,000 210,000 272,000 227,000 111,000 147,000
18 LIFE ON MARS-EV ABC 814,000 225,000 279,000 130,000 73,000 106,000
23 WIMBLEDON MEN'S FINAL Nine 634,000 203,000 200,000 76,000 73,000 82,000
25 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 14: CARLTON V MELBOURNE Seven 560,000 7,000 328,000 15,000 105,000 104,000
27 ALIAS Seven 513,000 143,000 200,000 70,000 60,000 40,000
29 NINE'S SUNDAY FOOTBALL Nine 484,000 302,000 166,000 17,000
31 GILMORE GIRLS Nine 426,000 110,000 144,000 65,000 52,000 55,000
33 THE ROMAN EMPIRE SBS 415,000 140,000 132,000 74,000 26,000 43,000
39 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 14: SYDNEY V FREMANTLE Seven 335,000 116,000 66,000 153,000
43 BIG LOVE SBS 273,000 77,000 100,000 38,000 33,000 25,000
44 VINLAND: VIKING MAP OR MILLION DOLLAR HOAX ABC 271,000 86,000 77,000 46,000 15,000 47,000

What Australia watched, week ending July 7
Description Network Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEA PATROL Nine 1,980,000 575,000 611,000 345,000 231,000 219,000
2 STATE OF ORIGIN RL 3rd Match Nine 1,890,000 756,000 281,000 726,000 70,000 57,000
3 BORDER SECURITY Seven 1,775,000 495,000 509,000 304,000 186,000 281,000
4 IT TAKES TWO Seven 1,712,000 496,000 539,000 266,000 193,000 219,000
5 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,627,000 384,000 465,000 315,000 190,000 272,000
6 60 MINUTES Nine 1,615,000 469,000 500,000 268,000 169,000 209,000
7 GREY'S ANATOMY Seven 1,566,000 418,000 508,000 271,000 151,000 218,000
8 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,554,000 387,000 429,000 287,000 204,000 246,000
9 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,544,000 480,000 448,000 260,000 211,000 147,000
10 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,541,000 475,000 510,000 200,000 177,000 179,000
11 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,415,000 359,000 403,000 263,000 172,000 218,000
12 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES Seven 1,406,000 443,000 436,000 215,000 143,000 169,000
13 GETAWAY Nine 1,379,000 382,000 412,000 277,000 155,000 153,000
14 HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER Seven 1,334,000 367,000 379,000 268,000 126,000 194,000
15 CONCERT FOR DIANA Nine 1,325,000 413,000 387,000 203,000 158,000 164,000
16 NCIS Ten 1,311,000 379,000 345,000 263,000 173,000 151,000
17 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,297,000 400,000 389,000 210,000 141,000 158,000
18 NINE NEWS Mon-Fri Nine 1,261,000 352,000 379,000 261,000 151,000 117,000
19 UGLY BETTY Seven 1,259,000 343,000 393,000 177,000 142,000 205,000
20 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,256,000 338,000 390,000 219,000 142,000 167,000
21 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,252,000 322,000 400,000 262,000 143,000 124,000
22 THE SIMPSONS TUES Ten 1,250,000 303,000 402,000 217,000 144,000 183,000
23 THAT '70S SHOW Seven 1,232,000 301,000 344,000 262,000 147,000 177,000
24 HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS -RPT Nine 1,230,000 309,000 394,000 240,000 154,000 134,000
25 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC 1,230,000 322,000 411,000 148,000 169,000 180,000
26 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,229,000 363,000 319,000 229,000 126,000 193,000
27 THE ALL NEW SIMPSONS Ten 1,229,000 281,000 387,000 222,000 151,000 189,000
28 BACKYARD BLITZ Nine 1,227,000 355,000 363,000 195,000 174,000 140,000
29 HOUSE RPT Ten 1,201,000 274,000 424,000 124,000 189,000 190,000
30 TEMPTATION Nine 1,189,000 292,000 417,000 229,000 129,000 121,000
31 CSI: MIAMI -RPT Nine 1,187,000 351,000 362,000 188,000 140,000 146,000
32 POLICE FILES - UNLOCKED Seven 1,183,000 272,000 433,000 127,000 144,000 207,000
33 WHERE ARE THEY NOW Seven 1,176,000 344,000 389,000 243,000 200,000
34 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEO SHOW Nine 1,167,000 321,000 341,000 195,000 171,000 139,000
35 HEROES Seven 1,165,000 313,000 336,000 240,000 115,000 160,000
36 THE FOOTY SHOW Nine 1,159,000 284,000 478,000 144,000 137,000 116,000
37 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Nine 1,141,000 321,000 383,000 206,000 150,000 81,000
38 ABC NEWS-Sun ABC 1,138,000 353,000 375,000 167,000 91,000 152,000
39 ABC NEWS Mon-Fri ABC 1,120,000 324,000 348,000 182,000 120,000 145,000
40 DIANA'S LAST DAY Nine 1,115,000 341,000 292,000 191,000 147,000 144,000

by David Dale in The Tribal Mind at 09:29 AM
Comments (123)

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

The tribal mind: DVDs kill the video star

by David Dale.
Sign of the times: My local video rental store is selling off all its VHS movies for $2 each, hoping to get rid of 5,000 of them within three months. By next year, there will no longer be video stores in this country, only DVD stores. This will mean a short term bonanza for those of us who like to collect obscure movies (see below), but a disaster for those who can't afford to move from the technology that served this nation for more than 20 years or who have built up a huge library of tapes.

The statistics show why this is happening. In 2000, Australians spent $176m renting videos and $157m buying them. In 2006, we spent $0.5m renting videos and $3.6m buying them. The graph goes in the opposite direction for DVDs. In 2000 we spent $10.2 m renting DVDs and $59.5m buying them. In 2006 we spent $175m renting DVDs and $1,014m buying them.

So who are the people still playing those clunky black cassettes? They're a different species, as demonstrated by these charts from GFK marketing ...

Top selling DVDs of 2007: 1 Happy Feet; 2 Casino Royale; 3 Borat; 4 Devil Wears Prada; 5 Night At The Museum; 6 Dirty Dancing 15th Anniversary Edition; 7 Kenny; 8 Step Up.

Top selling VHS of 2007: 1 Wiggles Who Hoo Wiggly Gremlins; 2 Colour of War - The Anzacs; 3 Wiggles Cold Spaghetti Western; 4 Wild Thornberries Movie; 5 Sleepover Club: Power, Politics, Parties; 6 Asterix and Cleopatra; 7 Sleepover Club: Fun, Fashion and Friends; 8 Interview with the Vampire special edition.

We are forced to the conclusion that the rump of video buyers in 2007 consists of toddlers, pre-teen girls, World War One nostalgists and goths without DVD players. As of last weekend, you can add The Tribal Mind to that group. I spent $50 picking up dimly remembered favourites such as:

Oscar and Lucinda: The fascinating and infuriating novel by Peter Carey becomes a slightly less f and i movie with a chubby-faced Cate Blanchett, a sweet and innocent Ralph Fiennes and 19th century Sydney portrayed as a town of golden sandstone.

Mystery Men: The original superhero satire, in which William H. Macey, Ben Stiller and Janeane Garofolo originated the personnas they've since perfected.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A teen comedy with depth, which inspired American Pie and Clueless and included a spectacular scene with Phoebe Cates, who has never done better work.

The Lonely Guy: Vintage Steve Martin, before he stopped being silly, plus the marvellously deadpan Charles Grodin.

Tampopo: The sly Japanese comedy about noodlophiliacs.

Barbarians at the Gate: The story of the how Big Tobacco tried to create a smokeless cigarette, with these immortal lines spoken by James Garner: "We put enough technology in this project to send a cigarette to the moon and we come up with one that tastes like it took a dump ... Tastes like shit and smells like a fart. It's one unique advertising strategy, I'll tell ya that.''

Too bad Big Tobacco is taking a little longer than the video to vanish from the earth.

Will you miss your VCR? Will you mourn the end of the video age? Tell us the movies you'll collect when your video store starts selling them off at $2 each.

by David Dale in The Tribal Mind at 06:06 PM
Comments (59)

Sunday, July 8, 2007

WHO WE ARE: Anywhere but here

A column about Australia by David Dale, published in The Sun-Herald, 8/7/2007
They like us, they really like us. It's such a pity, then, that we don't really like ourselves.

A Harris poll of 2372 adult Americans, published last week, showed that "if cost were no object", the place Americans would most like to visit is Australia (ahead of Italy, Britain, and France).

Clearly our campaigns, from "Slip another shrimp on the barbie" to "Where the bloody hell are you?" have been working. This will come as some consolation to local tourism officials currently pondering research which suggests that, if cost were no object, Australia is pretty much the last place Australians would like to visit.

It seems we're not that excited about unravelling giant balls of wool in the back lanes of Melbourne. And we're content to never never go and thus never never know. We'd rather be anywhere else.

After interviews with people in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, the Travel Research Centre, in a report to the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources, says: "Australians are searching for holidays that offer a significant contrast to everyday life ... It is the prospect of a temporary 'new life' that motivates them -- not just in terms of places to see and things to do but also in terms of learning, personal development and gaining genuine social and cultural insights."

And that's where this country fails. Bluntly, the people interviewed thought Australia offers little prospect of cultural enrichment, its attractions are too widely separated and too much the same, its accommodations are too expensive or too drab, and there's not enough for families to do.

"Travel within Australia does not currently offer the experiences and gratifications sought from a holiday," say the authors. "Some Australians are currently resentful of the poor value for money travelling domestically offers ... Not only is Australia not different but it has a high degree of perceived homogeneity. Indigenous culture is not motivating to most Australians and thus does not provide that cultural contrast.

"The idea that travel is educational is stronger for Europe. This allows parents to feel that they are 'good parents' and that they are doing the trip for others. More importantly, parents dread the thought of car travel with children."

The authors conclude there is "a major long term task to refresh Australia, especially in the eyes of younger consumers". Their suggestions include starting a national accreditation scheme for accommodation, creating more informative "tourism packages", and "developing ways to make the journey bearable or even enjoyable" (though they don't say how).

They come up with this alarming proposition: "The key need is to demonstrate to parents the educational benefits of domestic travel as compared to international travel. If ethically possible, marketing travel to children as fun can leverage the formidable power of the 'nag factor'".

So you can stop worrying about McDonald's and start worrying about Brand Australia manipulating vulnerable young minds into Pester Power: "Aw mum, can't we go to Brisbane instead of Paris this year?"

I know the readers of this column can do better. Give us your ideas on how to refresh Australian travel for Australians, below.

And click here to learn what the Census figures revealed about Australians.

by David Dale in Who We Are at 12:49 AM
Comments (96)

Saturday, July 7, 2007

The ratings race: Week 27

This blog is now a heritage item -- worth studying but no longer current. To join the latest discussion on media and popular culture, go to www.smh.com.au/tribalmind.

The daily media briefing from David Dale, updated 10 am Sunday July 8
This week Nine won Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, and Seven won Monday, Tuesday and Friday, and the average prime time audience shares ended up thus: Nine 29.3 per cent, Seven 28.6, Ten 20.7, ABC 16.1, and SBS 5.4.

What Australia watched, Saturday
Description Network Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,256,000 338,000 390,000 219,000 142,000 167,000
2 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEO SHOW Nine 1,167,000 321,000 341,000 195,000 171,000 139,000
3 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Nine 1,141,000 321,000 383,000 206,000 150,000 81,000
4 HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS -RPT Nine 1,096,000 309,000 394,000 240,000 154,000
9 DOCTOR WHO ABC 806,000 220,000 212,000 184,000 90,000 99,000
10 SATURDAY NIGHT AFL Ten 802,000 304,000 95,000 187,000 216,000
11 THE BILL ABC 756,000 194,000 265,000 137,000 65,000 95,000
14 SATURDAY AFTERNOON AFL Ten 662,000 63,000 302,000 83,000 128,000 86,000
16 SEVEN'S R.U: TRI-NATIONS: AUS V S A Seven 603,000 354,000 56,000 142,000 22,000 30,000
21 GREAT COMEDY CLASSICS Seven 477,000 294,000 78,000 105,000
22 WIMBLEDON WOMEN'S FINAL Nine 462,000 116,000 194,000 63,000 39,000 49,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

Updated 10 am Saturday
Nine could still win the week. It all depends on how much Australians prefer Harry Potter to rugby union tonight.

What Australia watched, Friday
Description Network Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,461,000 374,000 423,000 263,000 195,000 206,000
2 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,316,000 325,000 405,000 224,000 165,000 197,000
3 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,297,000 400,000 389,000 210,000 141,000 158,000
4 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,170,000 304,000 384,000 250,000 132,000 100,000
5 TEMPTATION Nine 1,159,000 269,000 395,000 246,000 129,000 120,000
6 NINE NEWS Nine 1,157,000 322,000 349,000 235,000 143,000 107,000
8 TAGGART ABC 1,063,000 318,000 311,000 187,000 121,000 126,000
10 BIG BROTHER - FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE Ten 1,025,000 232,000 333,000 197,000 149,000 113,000
13 BIG BROTHER Ten 862,000 212,000 244,000 174,000 123,000 109,000
15 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 14: ESSENDON V GEELONG Seven 799,000 16,000 500,000 14,000 145,000 124,000
16 NEIGHBOURS Ten 786,000 199,000 193,000 176,000 102,000 116,000
18 AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL 5 Ten 708,000 178,000 226,000 150,000 95,000 59,000
21 NINE'S LIVE FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Nine 599,000 326,000 273,000
24 NINE'S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Nine 450,000 319,000 130,000
28 SUNRISE Seven 393,000 120,000 68,000 97,000 47,000 60,000
31 BIG BROTHER - UP LATE Ten 360,000 91,000 114,000 64,000 53,000 37,000
42 TODAY Nine 268,000 88,000 77,000 51,000 18,000 35,000
45 WIMBLEDON D11 Nine 267,000 91,000 85,000 38,000 30,000 23,000
46 THE BASIL BRUSH SHOW-PM ABC 261,000 82,000 91,000 24,000 31,000 33,000
52 GHOST WHISPERER (R) Seven 247,000 147,000 99,000

Updated 10am Friday July 6
Despite its industry nickname "Blue Heelers All At Sea", Sea Patrol last night exceeded Channel Nine's hopes (and Seven's Border Security figure on Monday) and put Nine in the lead for the week.

But Sea Patrol "skewed old", in the industry's jargon. Channel Seven won the night with viewers aged 18-49, and they are the niche the advertisers are most interested in. Nine still needs some shows for the groovers.

The AFL will probably give Seven a victory tonight. On Saturday Seven is stuck with rugby union while Nine has a Harry Potter movie. You can see where the week is going.

What Australia watched, Thursday
Description Network Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEA PATROL Nine 1,971,000 571,000 606,000 345,000 230,000 219,000
2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,462,000 343,000 436,000 280,000 182,000 221,000
3 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,368,000 345,000 408,000 270,000 150,000 196,000
4 GETAWAY Nine 1,358,000 373,000 409,000 273,000 152,000 151,000
5 HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER Seven 1,334,000 367,000 379,000 268,000 126,000 194,000
6 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,253,000 335,000 417,000 247,000 130,000 124,000
7 NINE NEWS Nine 1,253,000 395,000 373,000 235,000 138,000 111,000
8 THAT '70S SHOW Seven 1,232,000 301,000 344,000 262,000 147,000 177,000
9 THE FOOTY SHOW Nine 1,207,000 297,000 491,000 149,000 142,000 127,000
13 LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT Ten 1,043,000 306,000 313,000 190,000 117,000 117,000
14 LOST Seven 1,025,000 294,000 318,000 161,000 121,000 131,000
16 BIG BROTHER Ten 921,000 195,000 236,000 230,000 108,000 153,000
20 LAW AND ORDER: SVU Ten 828,000 201,000 238,000 165,000 89,000 134,000
23 BRAT CAMP: WHAT HAPPENED NEXT ABC 723,000 224,000 202,000 91,000 88,000 118,000
24 PIRATE MASTER Ten 645,000 147,000 178,000 120,000 90,000 110,000
28 HEROES Seven 553,000 313,000 240,000
31 INSPECTOR REX RPT SBS 473,000 118,000 156,000 84,000 50,000 64,000 (OzTAM preliminary estimates, Wednesday)

Updated 10am Thursday July 5
Channel Nine won Sunday and Wednesday, Channel Seven won Monday and Tuesday, and at this point in the week the average prime time audience shares are Seven 29.6 per cent, Nine 28.1, Ten 20.8, ABC 15.8, SBS 5.7. It seems unlikely that Lisa McCune will be able to turn the week around for Nine.

What Australia watched, Wednesday
Description Network Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 STATE OF ORIGIN RUGBY LEAGUE QLD V NSW 3RD - MATCH Nine 1,766,000 756,000 284,000 726,000
2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,531,000 380,000 421,000 264,000 210,000 255,000
3 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,391,000 345,000 403,000 249,000 167,000 226,000
4 NINE NEWS Nine 1,243,000 364,000 355,000 275,000 144,000 104,000
5 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC 1,234,000 323,000 413,000 150,000 168,000 180,000
6 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,228,000 352,000 334,000 235,000 109,000 198,000
7 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,225,000 329,000 346,000 290,000 142,000 118,000
8 HOUSE RPT Ten 1,203,000 274,000 424,000 125,000 190,000 190,000
9 POLICE FILES - UNLOCKED Seven 1,183,000 272,000 433,000 127,000 144,000 207,000
10 TEMPTATION Nine 1,169,000 281,000 372,000 261,000 135,000 120,000
15 THE CHASER'S WAR ON REPEATS ABC 996,000 263,000 331,000 96,000 146,000 160,000
18 BIG BROTHER Ten 959,000 218,000 260,000 202,000 141,000 137,000
25 HEROES Seven 612,000 M336,000 A115,000 P160,000

Updated 10 am Wednesday July 4
Channel Nine won Sunday, Channel Seven won Monday and Tuesday, and at this point in the week the average prime time audience shares are Seven 31.6 per cent, Nine 26.2, Ten 20.6, ABC 15.5, SBS 6.1. Will a combination of Tonight's State of Origin match and Thursday's launch of Sea Patrol turn the week around for Nine? Or will Australians have had their fill of border protection after Monday's top program? Register your predictions below.

What Australia watched, Tuesday
Description Network Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 IT TAKES TWO Seven 1,712,000 496,000 539,000 266,000 193,000 219,000
2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,589,000 416,000 416,000 307,000 199,000 251,000
3 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,541,000 475,000 510,000 200,000 177,000 179,000
4 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,417,000 367,000 379,000 256,000 183,000 231,000
5 NCIS Ten 1,312,000 379,000 346,000 263,000 173,000 150,000
6 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,295,000 324,000 405,000 283,000 149,000 134,000
7 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,276,000 393,000 322,000 243,000 119,000 198,000
8 NINE NEWS Nine 1,276,000 336,000 378,000 282,000 156,000 125,000
13 CROSSING JORDAN Seven 1,013,000 308,000 331,000 151,000 107,000 116,000
17 NUMB3RS Ten 953,000 265,000 283,000 183,000 119,000 103,000
22 CSI: NY Nine 786,000 229,000 227,000 153,000 78,000 99,000
24 CARBON COPS ABC 747,000 212,000 212,000 137,000 96,000 90,000
25 THE BILL-TU ABC 726,000 235,000 188,000 145,000 67,000 91,000
28 THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL Ten 561,000 164,000 136,000 115,000 64,000 82,000
29 THE NATION Nine 548,000 155,000 198,000 80,000 54,000 60,000
31 TIME TEAM ABC 507,000 144,000 174,000 80,000 51,000 57,000
34 SUNRISE Seven 413,000 136,000 76,000 102,000 41,000 59,000
52 TODAY Nine 249,000 76,000 72,000 59,000 17,000 25,000
55 DR PHIL Ten 243,000 55,000 98,000 29,000 26,000 35,000
62 PLAY SCHOOL-AM ABC 231,000 101,000 62,000 29,000 19,000 20,000
64 WORLD NEWS AUSTRALIA SBS 215,000 71,000 67,000 37,000 21,000 18,000
74 THE MORNING SHOW Seven 177,000 65,000 35,000 40,000 15,000 22,000
76 BIG BROTHER - UP LATE Ten 172,000 67,000 42,000 24,000 21,000 18,000
85 PLAY SCHOOL-PM ABC 154,000 35,000 47,000 21,000 19,000 31,000
100 9AM WITH DAVID & KIM Ten 105,000 26,000 30,000 17,000 19,000 13,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

What Australia watched, Monday
Description Network Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 BORDER SECURITY Seven 1,775,000 495,000 509,000 304,000 186,000 281,000
2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,725,000 425,000 449,000 319,000 235,000 296,000
3 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,573,000 412,000 419,000 310,000 192,000 240,000
4 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES Seven 1,406,000 443,000 436,000 215,000 143,000 169,000
5 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,364,000 405,000 349,000 255,000 155,000 201,000
6 NINE NEWS Nine 1,359,000 344,000 438,000 274,000 167,000 136,000
7 CONCERT FOR DIANA Nine 1,328,000 414,000 388,000 205,000 158,000 162,000
8 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,316,000 319,000 441,000 249,000 166,000 142,000
13 WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU Nine 1,032,000 321,000 304,000 177,000 124,000 106,000
14 BROTHERS & SISTERS Seven 1,028,000 322,000 360,000 143,000 104,000 99,000
15 BIG BROTHER Ten 1,005,000 248,000 270,000 216,000 126,000 145,000
16 AUSTRALIAN STORY ABC 977,000 242,000 298,000 209,000 100,000 129,000
17 BIG BROTHER LIVE NOMINATION Ten 959,000 233,000 266,000 202,000 129,000 128,000
24 TORCHWOOD Ten 774,000 230,000 206,000 140,000 100,000 97,000
25 TOP GEAR SBS 758,000 217,000 231,000 157,000 79,000 74,000
27 BOSTON LEGAL Seven 730,000 231,000 257,000 94,000 81,000 66,000
29 THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL Ten 580,000 146,000 155,000 130,000 68,000 80,000
32 SCRUBS Seven 464,000 140,000 169,000 61,000 48,000 45,000
33 SUNRISE Seven 422,000 145,000 81,000 97,000 39,000 59,000
65 WIMBLEDON D7 Nine 256,000 72,000 84,000 37,000 35,000 28,000
69 THE MORNING SHOW Seven 225,000 74,000 57,000 44,000 24,000 26,000
73 TODAY Nine 202,000 58,000 58,000 44,000 14,000 27,000

Updated 10 am, Monday July 2
Interviewed last Friday on the British breakfast show GMTV, John Barrowman, who plays Captain Jack in Channel Ten's new series Torchwood, made this observation: "Funnily enough Torchwood has just aired in Australia and is, like, the second most popular show in Oz. I mean there's about 50 people in OZ but that doesn't make any difference." The host replied: "Still a great statistic, John".

In fact, Torchwood was the number 71 most watched program for the week, with 898,000 viewers across the mainland capitals. It had greater appeal to viewers 18-49, with whom it was the number 33 most watched show of the week.

The only sense in which it was "like, the second most popular show in Oz" (unless Barrowman was trying to say Torchwood resembles 60 Minutes) was that it was the second most watched show between 9.30pm and 10.30pm on Monday night, behind Brothers and Sisters, which got 961,000 viewers. It was even beaten by its progenitor, Dr Who, who pulled 928,000 viewers to the ABC on Saturday night.

Two performances by the doctor last week, plus Spicks and Specks and The Chaser boys in repeat, helped the ABC to average a remarkable 17 per cent of the prime time audience. Seven won the week with 29.0 per cent, while Nine got 27.1 per cent, Ten 21.7, and SBS 5.1.

Channel Seven has won the first half of the ratings year, but is about to run out of episodes of Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives and Heroes. Nine launches its fightback strategy this week with Sea Patrol, which may be hampered in audience appeal by the actors having to wear the daggiest uniforms yet seen in an Australian crime series.

To discuss whether TV is a dying medium, click here

What Australia watched, Sunday
Description Network Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,624,000 383,000 463,000 313,000 192,000 273,000
2 60 MINUTES Nine 1,600,000 464,000 492,000 268,000 168,000 208,000
3 GREY'S ANATOMY Seven 1,569,000 418,000 508,000 271,000 152,000 219,000
4 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,543,000 480,000 448,000 260,000 209,000 147,000
5 UGLY BETTY Seven 1,271,000 348,000 397,000 182,000 140,000 205,000
6 BACKYARD BLITZ Nine 1,228,000 355,000 363,000 195,000 175,000 140,000
7 WHERE ARE THEY NOW Seven 1,174,000 340,000 388,000 246,000 200,000
8 CSI: MIAMI -RPT Nine 1,174,000 343,000 359,000 186,000 139,000 146,000
9 ABC NEWS-SUN ABC 1,138,000 353,000 375,000 167,000 91,000 152,000
10 DIANA'S LAST DAY Nine 1,120,000 344,000 295,000 190,000 147,000 144,000
11 BIG BROTHER LIVE EVICTION Ten 1,064,000 264,000 276,000 212,000 162,000 151,000
12 BIG BROTHER SUN Ten 974,000 242,000 245,000 196,000 128,000 164,000
21 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 13: KANGAROOS V WESTERN BULLDOGS Seven 705,000 72,000 327,000 49,000 96,000 159,000
24 SURVIVOR: FIJI Nine 522,000 177,000 167,000 60,000 61,000 57,000
26 NINE'S SUNDAY FOOTBALL Nine 467,000 314,000 138,000 15,000
27 ALIAS Seven 458,000 138,000 159,000 60,000 51,000 50,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

What Australia watched, week ending June 30
Description Network Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 IT TAKES TWO Seven 1,717,000 526,000 527,000 272,000 191,000 201,000
2 60 MINUTES Nine 1,706,000 490,000 538,000 293,000 177,000 209,000
3 GREY'S ANATOMY Seven 1,595,000 512,000 503,000 255,000 141,000 185,000
4 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,548,000 411,000 408,000 327,000 149,000 253,000
5 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,545,000 415,000 447,000 262,000 191,000 229,000
6 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,495,000 481,000 394,000 259,000 235,000 125,000
7 CSI Nine 1,462,000 434,000 401,000 277,000 180,000 170,000
8 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,435,000 429,000 484,000 209,000 140,000 173,000
9 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES Seven 1,422,000 462,000 440,000 183,000 161,000 176,000
10 1 VS 100 Nine 1,416,000 395,000 453,000 249,000 153,000 166,000
11 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,405,000 388,000 407,000 231,000 177,000 202,000
12 HOUSE Ten 1,404,000 407,000 398,000 253,000 160,000 186,000
13 RPA WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Nine 1,400,000 414,000 427,000 206,000 184,000 169,000
14 CSI: MIAMI Nine 1,397,000 399,000 377,000 275,000 179,000 167,000
15 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC 1,348,000 431,000 36