tag:blogs.sunherald.com.au,2008:/whoweare/9 2008-07-25T00:53:24Z Who We Are: A weekly column about Australia, by David Dale. Movable Type 3.36 tag:blogs.sunherald.com.au,2008:/whoweare//9.615 2008-07-25T01:11:04Z 2008-07-25T00:53:24Z

To learn how Big Brother made Australia smarter, go to Who We Are To discuss whether Batman could beat Indiana Jones, go to The Tribal Mind The ratings race, updated 10 am Friday Channel Seven seems to have another week...

David Dale Big Brother made Australia smarter, go to Who We Are To discuss whether Batman could beat Indiana Jones, go to The Tribal Mind The ratings race, updated 10 am Friday Channel Seven seems to have another week under control, just as Nine has been boasting of its win in the first half. Seven is averaging 28.0 per cent of the prime time audience, while Nine has 26.2, Ten 21.4, ABC 17.2, and SBS 7.2. What Australia watched, Thursday Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,505,000 431,000 355,000 343,000 164,000 213,000 2 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,420,000 448,000 339,000 273,000 152,000 209,000 3 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,313,000 432,000 296,000 272,000 129,000 184,000 4 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,280,000 381,000 391,000 263,000 132,000 113,000 5 GETAWAY Nine 1,273,000 380,000 407,000 230,000 131,000 125,000 6 BONES Seven 1,263,000 371,000 367,000 253,000 119,000 154,000 7 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,186,000 322,000 377,000 281,000 125,000 81,000 8 NINE NEWS Nine 1,153,000 330,000 372,000 253,000 110,000 88,000 9 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,137,000 323,000 342,000 210,000 120,000 142,000 10 THE CELEBRITY SINGING BEE Nine 1,118,000 338,000 401,000 144,000 129,000 107,000 11 LAW AND ORDER: SVU RPT Ten 1,092,000 332,000 295,000 199,000 133,000 133,000 12 LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT Ten 1,086,000 332,000 342,000 193,000 111,000 107,000 13 GHOST WHISPERER Seven 1,019,000 381,000 281,000 239,000 117,000 17 THE FOOTY SHOW Nine 861,000 186,000 383,000 100,000 95,000 98,000 20 THE AMAZING RACE Seven 783,000 250,000 279,000 98,000 88,000 69,000 24 BONDI RESCUE - DAILY RPT Ten 637,000 180,000 159,000 133,000 94,000 71,000 40 SUNRISE Seven 323,000 90,000 72,000 102,000 27,000 33,000 45 TOUR DE FRANCE 2008 STAGE 18 SBS 286,000 83,000 89,000 26,000 29,000 58,000 50 TODAY Nine 267,000 83,000 81,000 60,000 18,000 25,000 (OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals) Continued here]]> The ratings race, updated 10 am Wednesday Nine will be disappointed but not particularly suprised that McLeod's Daughters did mediocre business. The ABC will be worried that viewers may be finding The Hollowmen a bit repetitious. What Australia watched, Wednesday Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,534,000 448,000 378,000 330,000 150,000 228,000 2 RSPCA ANIMAL RESCUE Seven 1,510,000 423,000 418,000 302,000 150,000 216,000 3 MEDICAL EMERGENCY Seven 1,394,000 348,000 434,000 266,000 150,000 196,000 4 CRIMINAL MINDS Seven 1,390,000 400,000 431,000 245,000 142,000 172,000 5 THE GRUEN TRANSFER ABC1 1,386,000 409,000 437,000 249,000 125,000 166,000 6 THIS IS YOUR LIFE Nine 1,334,000 411,000 385,000 243,000 154,000 142,000 7 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,321,000 411,000 326,000 254,000 133,000 197,000 8 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC1 1,289,000 393,000 395,000 243,000 128,000 130,000 9 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,276,000 409,000 310,000 248,000 127,000 184,000 10 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,229,000 346,000 317,000 288,000 140,000 138,000 11 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,180,000 319,000 367,000 209,000 117,000 168,000 12 NINE NEWS Nine 1,139,000 329,000 314,000 245,000 125,000 127,000 13 CRIMINAL MINDS (R) Seven 1,137,000 350,000 348,000 198,000 117,000 124,000 14 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,113,000 318,000 300,000 260,000 114,000 121,000 15 MCLEOD'S DAUGHTERS Nine 1,089,000 357,000 267,000 202,000 139,000 124,000 16 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Ten 1,000,000 302,000 247,000 188,000 117,000 146,000 17 JAMIE'S FOWL DINNERS Ten 967,000 302,000 266,000 128,000 150,000 121,000 18 THE HOLLOWMEN ABC1 950,000 275,000 314,000 173,000 90,000 98,000 34 PRISON BREAK Seven 428,000 139,000 118,000 74,000 52,000 44,000 35 TOUR DE FRANCE 2008 STAGE 17 SBS 427,000 127,000 139,000 39,000 43,000 78,000 What Australia watched, Tuesday Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 WIPEOUT Nine 1,499,000 502,000 469,000 224,000 158,000 147,000 2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,473,000 405,000 343,000 328,000 182,000 215,000 3 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,407,000 414,000 424,000 246,000 148,000 175,000 4 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,362,000 418,000 368,000 274,000 159,000 144,000 5 TWO AND A HALF MEN Nine 1,354,000 425,000 424,000 216,000 135,000 153,000 6 THE ONE - AUSTRALIA'S MOST GIFTED PSYCHIC Seven 1,334,000 372,000 341,000 299,000 136,000 187,000 7 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,291,000 371,000 320,000 254,000 154,000 192,000 8 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,287,000 383,000 317,000 265,000 136,000 186,000 9 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,244,000 330,000 348,000 288,000 159,000 120,000 10 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,234,000 319,000 392,000 238,000 131,000 154,000 11 NCIS EP 2 RPT Ten 1,193,000 302,000 406,000 178,000 169,000 137,000 12 NINE NEWS Nine 1,173,000 330,000 346,000 254,000 143,000 100,000 13 NCIS EP 1 RPT Ten 1,140,000 266,000 361,000 196,000 151,000 166,000 15 FAMILY FORTUNES ABC1 971,000 268,000 293,000 194,000 104,000 112,000 36 TOUR DE FRANCE 2008 STAGE 16 SBS 381,000 96,000 137,000 31,000 41,000 77,000 42 SUNRISE Seven 318,000 118,000 56,000 89,000 24,000 30,000 54 TODAY Nine 248,000 70,000 82,000 50,000 21,000 25,000 80 SUNRISE-EARLY Seven 174,000 59,000 21,000 66,000 12,000 16,000 83 NINE MORNING NEWS Nine 159,000 44,000 62,000 24,000 15,000 14,000 86 SEVEN MORNING NEWS Seven 156,000 52,000 33,000 29,000 17,000 24,000 96 TODAY-EARLY Nine 121,000 26,000 37,000 32,000 10,000 17,000 What Australia watched, Monday Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,603,000 444,000 408,000 334,000 187,000 229,000 2 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,547,000 452,000 399,000 316,000 174,000 205,000 3 CITY HOMICIDE Seven 1,511,000 419,000 477,000 278,000 133,000 204,000 4 BORDER SECURITY (R) Seven 1,469,000 442,000 395,000 265,000 154,000 213,000 5 THE FORCE Seven 1,464,000 405,000 405,000 253,000 157,000 244,000 6 BIG BROTHER - WINNER ANNOUNCED Ten 1,427,000 436,000 424,000 258,000 158,000 150,000 7 CRIMINAL MINDS - MON Seven 1,331,000 384,000 419,000 237,000 138,000 153,000 8 NINE NEWS Nine 1,297,000 352,000 404,000 264,000 152,000 124,000 9 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,270,000 365,000 349,000 277,000 147,000 133,000 10 BIG BROTHER - FINALE NIGHT Ten 1,254,000 366,000 380,000 232,000 142,000 134,000 11 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,216,000 373,000 284,000 228,000 149,000 182,000 12 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,206,000 330,000 371,000 231,000 155,000 119,000 13 DAVID ATTENBOROUGH'S LIFE OF MAMMALS Nine 1,202,000 343,000 348,000 249,000 138,000 124,000 14 THE FARMER WANTS A WIFE Nine 1,184,000 392,000 339,000 204,000 123,000 126,000 17 TOP GEAR SBS 902,000 285,000 253,000 151,000 111,000 103,000 23 BURN NOTICE MON Ten 794,000 244,000 227,000 138,000 98,000 87,000 29 BOSTON LEGAL Seven 575,000 171,000 217,000 85,000 61,000 40,000 35 MARK LOVES SHARON Ten 438,000 128,000 127,000 65,000 64,000 54,000 42 BINDI: THE JUNGLE GIRL-PM ABC1 341,000 88,000 97,000 92,000 30,000 34,000 54 30 ROCK Seven 293,000 99,000 95,000 43,000 26,000 30,000 The ratings race, updated 10am Monday Just as Mussolini made the trains run on time in Italy by redefining the concept of lateness, Channel Seven is able to announce it won the first half of the year by redefining the concept of prime time. By looking at viewing habits between 6pm and 10.30 pm, Seven can claim a slightly higher audience share than Nine for the first half. It's only the pesky industry standard of 6pm to midnight that makes Nine look good and Seven look bad. In fact, Seven didn't need any redefinition to win last week. Between 6pm and midnight it averaged 27.3 per cent of the audience (thanks to City Homicide, RSPCA Animal Rescue and Seven News Sunday), while Nine got 26.3 per cent (thanks to 60 Minutes , Domestic Blitz and Nine news Sunday). Ten got 21.5 (thanks to NCIS and Jamie Oliver's Eat To Save Your Life, but no thanks to Big Brother, which was unable even to attract viewers curious to see its death throes); ABC got 17.6 (thanks to Spicks and Specks, The Gruen Transfer, the news, Silent Witness and Doctor Who) and SBS got 7.2 (thanks to Top Gear on 922,000 and Inspector Rex on 411,000). Nine, not above its own bit of redefining, announced yesterday that it had won the week with viewers aged 25-54. What Australia watched, Sunday Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,603,000 451,000 398,000 356,000 196,000 203,000 2 60 MINUTES Nine 1,569,000 470,000 432,000 298,000 161,000 207,000 3 DOMESTIC BLITZ Nine 1,432,000 447,000 396,000 289,000 135,000 166,000 4 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,427,000 411,000 450,000 271,000 166,000 130,000 5 CSI: MIAMI Nine 1,378,000 372,000 423,000 258,000 150,000 175,000 6 BATTLE OF THE CHOIRS Seven 1,352,000 399,000 406,000 235,000 139,000 172,000 7 ABBA: THE MAMMA MIA! STORY Seven 1,270,000 373,000 342,000 256,000 143,000 155,000 8 FOYLE'S WAR ABC1 1,146,000 324,000 327,000 190,000 146,000 160,000 9 ABC NEWS-SUN ABC1 1,093,000 315,000 372,000 185,000 106,000 115,000 10 DOCTOR WHO ABC1 1,092,000 347,000 290,000 215,000 108,000 132,000 11 BIG BROTHER LIVE EVICTION Ten 1,081,000 319,000 312,000 194,000 137,000 119,000 14 DOCTOR WHO: CONFIDENTIAL CUTDOWN ABC1 936,000 300,000 245,000 150,000 106,000 135,000 15 CSI: NY Nine 936,000 279,000 317,000 215,000 125,000 16 PRIVATE PRACTICE Seven 917,000 302,000 255,000 160,000 102,000 99,000 17 BIG BROTHER SUN Ten 875,000 272,000 222,000 164,000 109,000 108,000 19 DEXTER Ten 783,000 186,000 290,000 81,000 100,000 126,000 23 LIPSTICK JUNGLE Seven 628,000 223,000 170,000 93,000 66,000 75,000 25 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 16: PORT ADELAIDE VS ADELAIDE Seven 505,000 7,000 247,000 4,000 239,000 9,000 26 NINE'S SUNDAY FOOTBALL Nine 489,000 313,000 176,000 32 FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS Ten 338,000 94,000 119,000 26,000 41,000 57,000 69 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 16: CARLTON VS SYDNEY Seven 152,000 99,000 Not shown 54,000 Not shown Not shown 86 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 16: FREMANTLE VS MELBOURNE Seven 107,000 Not shown Not shown Not shown Not shown 107,000 Pay TV's most watched shows included a rugby league match between Wests Tigers and Storm (Fox Sports 2) with 302,000 viewers nationally; Rugby Union TriNations (Fox Sports 3) 273,000; NRL Titans v Panthers (FS2) 267,000; AFL Hawthorn v Sydney (FS1) 222,000; Family Guy (Fox 8) 222,000; The Simpsons (Fox 8) 218,000; Futurama (Fox8) 190,000 and Project Runway Australia (Arena) 154,000. Football Superstar on Fox 8 attracted 117,000. What Australia watched, week ending July 19 Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 60 MINUTES Network 9 1,822,000 508,000 568,000 360,000 171,000 216,000 2 DOMESTIC BLITZ Network 9 1,683,000 529,000 469,000 352,000 180,000 153,000 3 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Network 9 1,644,000 530,000 457,000 354,000 195,000 108,000 4 CITY HOMICIDE Network 7 1,605,000 445,000 524,000 289,000 142,000 205,000 5 RSPCA ANIMAL RESCUE Network 7 1,603,000 423,000 466,000 334,000 151,000 228,000 6 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Network 7 1,576,000 438,000 454,000 313,000 148,000 223,000 7 MEDICAL EMERGENCY Network 7 1,492,000 393,000 413,000 306,000 149,000 232,000 8 SEVEN NEWS Network 7 1,483,000 401,000 385,000 302,000 160,000 236,000 9 BORDER SECURITY - AUSTRALIA'S FRONT LINE (R) Network 7 1,472,000 381,000 458,000 288,000 137,000 206,000 10 CSI: MIAMI Network 9 1,458,000 390,000 447,000 304,000 158,000 159,000 11 CRIMINAL MINDS - MON Network 7 1,436,000 392,000 486,000 234,000 141,000 182,000 12 THE ONE - AUSTRALIA'S MOST GIFTED PSYCHIC Network 7 1,425,000 391,000 409,000 284,000 145,000 197,000 13 CRIMINAL MINDS Network 7 1,406,000 414,000 398,000 284,000 126,000 184,000 14 WIPEOUT Network 9 1,403,000 396,000 445,000 253,000 173,000 136,000 15 THE FARMER WANTS A WIFE Network 9 1,375,000 369,000 480,000 237,000 141,000 148,000 16 ALL SAINTS Network 7 1,356,000 408,000 446,000 211,000 146,000 145,000 17 GETAWAY Network 9 1,345,000 431,000 417,000 238,000 120,000 139,000 18 SPICKS AND SPECKS Network ABC1 1,332,000 356,000 446,000 231,000 155,000 144,000 19 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Network 7 1,317,000 390,000 381,000 214,000 147,000 184,000 20 THE GRUEN TRANSFER Network ABC1 1,314,000 371,000 463,000 211,000 113,000 156,000 21 TWO AND A HALF MEN Network 9 1,307,000 413,000 352,000 233,000 154,000 155,000 22 TODAY TONIGHT Network 7 1,299,000 354,000 352,000 244,000 139,000 211,000 23 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Network 7 1,295,000 364,000 353,000 270,000 145,000 163,000 24 NCIS EP 2 RPT Network TEN 1,283,000 351,000 377,000 233,000 165,000 156,000 25 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Network 9 1,263,000 349,000 390,000 266,000 134,000 125,000 26 SURF PATROL Network 7 1,244,000 330,000 415,000 220,000 115,000 165,000 27 BATTLE OF THE CHOIRS Network 7 1,241,000 377,000 367,000 222,000 121,000 155,000 28 BONES Network 7 1,208,000 302,000 392,000 245,000 124,000 146,000 29 DAVID ATTENBOROUGH'S LIFE OF MAMMALS Network 9 1,208,000 330,000 372,000 231,000 125,000 149,000 30 THE CELEBRITY SINGING BEE Network 9 1,194,000 322,000 449,000 162,000 129,000 133,000 31 HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER Network 7 1,194,000 310,000 362,000 253,000 112,000 158,000 32 MY NAME IS EARL - THU Network 7 1,191,000 330,000 372,000 243,000 108,000 138,000 33 NINE NEWS Network 9 1,189,000 334,000 371,000 253,000 129,000 102,000 34 ABC NEWS Network ABC1 1,176,000 326,000 385,000 208,000 104,000 152,000 35 JAMIE OLIVER'S EAT TO SAVE YOUR LIFE Network TEN 1,175,000 362,000 387,000 143,000 157,000 126,000 36 A CURRENT AFFAIR Network 9 1,175,000 335,000 375,000 249,000 120,000 95,000 37 HOME AND AWAY Network 7 1,172,000 351,000 317,000 212,000 121,000 171,000 38 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEO SHOW Network 9 1,168,000 337,000 320,000 218,000 137,000 156,000 39 SILENT WITNESS Network ABC1 1,168,000 385,000 298,000 204,000 127,000 155,000 40 ABC NEWS-SUN Network ABC1 1,142,000 277,000 397,000 211,000 110,000 147,000 41 WITHOUT A TRACE Network 9 1,118,000 296,000 394,000 194,000 124,000 109,000 42 NCIS EP 1 RPT Network TEN 1,101,000 248,000 368,000 231,000 113,000 140,000 43 DOCTOR WHO Network ABC1 1,101,000 339,000 311,000 230,000 95,000 126,000 44 FAMILY FORTUNES Network ABC1 1,084,000 301,000 321,000 228,000 110,000 124,000 (OzTAM mainland capitals) David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). To discuss Australian attitudes, go to http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.]]> tag:blogs.sunherald.com.au,2008:/whoweare//9.614 2008-07-23T20:39:24Z 2008-07-23T23:19:08Z

To learn how Big Brother made Australia smarter, got to Who We Are by David Dale The revelation that The Dark Knight sold $2.3 million worth of tickets on its first day in Australian cinemas (more than most movies sell...

David Dale Big Brother made Australia smarter, got to Who We Are by David Dale The revelation that The Dark Knight sold $2.3 million worth of tickets on its first day in Australian cinemas (more than most movies sell in a week) reminds me of this column's promise to do a reality check on a foolish prediction made here last month. When Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull earned $12.3 million in its first week, I said it would end up selling far fewer tickets than its predecessor, Raiders of the Lost Ark, despite the conventional wisdom that blockbusters always total about three times their first week's takings. My reasoning: IJ4 does not satisfy the requirements of the archetypal Hero's Journey (explained here); has a dud McGuffin (the alien football is no match for the Ark of the Covenant or The Holy Grail -- explained here); has a cliche climax (UFOs again!); and fails to give its villain a satisfying sendoff (Our Cate's demise is a pale imitation of the Nazi head melt in IJ1, despite leaps in special effects since 1981). To be as successful as the original, IJ4 needed to earn $33 million. In fact, it will leave Australian cinemas with $29.5 million. That suggests that it did not generate enthusiastic word-of-mouth. If it had the emotional resonance of IJ1 and IJ3, it would have picked up repeat business during the school holidays, but its core audience (teenage boys of all ages) were easily distracted by such other heroes as John Hancock, Maxwell Smart, Prince Caspian, Zohan Dvir, Po Panda and, most recently, Bruce Wayne. Here's the box office chart for the year up to last Thursday: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull $29m; Sex and The City $26m; I Am Legend $23m; Kung Fu Panda $23m (in three weeks); Iron Man $20m; Alvin and the Chipmunks $18m; 27 Dresses $16m; Hancock $16m (in two weeks); Narnia: Prince Caspian $14m; Get Smart $14m (in three weeks); Dr Suess Horton Hears a Who $12m; American Gangster $12m; Juno $12m; You Don't Mess With The Zohan $11m; Mamma Mia $8m (in one week). The Dark Knight has all the qualities IJ4 lacked: depth, complexity, imagination, characterisation, and a literate script. The special effects will draw the teens, and grownups will be curious about Heath Ledger's performance and intrigued by the examination of moral responsibility in civilised societies. TDK will certainly gross more than the $16 million made by its predecessor, Batman Begins, in 2005. But will it sell more tickets than Batman, the 1989 movie in which Michael Keaton was the dark knight and Jack Nicholson was The Joker? That made $13.8m, which would be $23m at today's ticket prices. Having had a rare success with the prediction about IJ4, this column should quit while its ahead, but I'm going to go again: TDK won't be the biggest moneymaker of this year (that will be Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince) or even the second biggest (IJ4) or the third biggest (Sex and the city or Kung Fu Panda). It deserves to beat those blockbusters, but it won't, because it's too thoughtful. I'd like to be proved wrong, because that will mean moviegoers prefer a movie that respects their intelligence. Lets revisit this topic in eight weeks, and meantime, you can offer your predictions by going to Comments Footnote, 6pm Monday July 21: In its first weekend, The Dark Knight made $11.8 million, bringing its five day total to $14m. That gives it every chance of topping $25 million, if not necessarily the $29.5m of IJ4. ]]> David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). To discuss Australian attitudes, go to http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.]]> tag:blogs.sunherald.com.au,2008:/whoweare//9.613 2008-07-22T00:39:50Z 2008-07-22T00:28:33Z

To discuss whether Batman could beat Indiana Jones, go to The Tribal Mind. For regular updates on Australian attitudes, bookmark blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare. A weekly column about Australia by David Dale, published 20/7/2008 The media pundits reacted with unseemly glee to...

David Dale To discuss whether Batman could beat Indiana Jones, go to The Tribal Mind. For regular updates on Australian attitudes, bookmark blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare. A weekly column about Australia by David Dale, published 20/7/2008 The media pundits reacted with unseemly glee to Channel Ten's decision to axe Big Brother. In emphasising its turkey-slapping, penis-exposing and dwarf-bouncing moments, they failed to credit its greatest contribution to Australian culture: Big Brother, more than any other entertainment of the early Noughties, changed us from passive consumers to active players. It transformed television from sit-back-and-veg-out technology (like the movies) to sit-forward-and-engage technology (like the computer). And that simple notion -- that individuals can and should make a difference -- expanded into a mindset that made John Howard's 2007 message "Trust me, I know what's best for you" not just useless but actually counterproductive. Back when the catchcry "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take this any more" was popularised by Peter Finch, who played the mad newsreader in the 1970s movie Network, the only way viewers could participate in the process was by switching off the box. The networks could spoonfeed us any old junk because we'd grown up with the assumption that television was a passive medium. Your only role as a couch potato was to let it all wash over you. The comedies even came with cues on when to laugh. And Channel Nine's attitude to viewers was echoed by the Government's attitude to voters. As the signs in Sydney buses used to say: "Do not speak to the driver whilst vehicle is in motion". Big Brother arrived in 2001 and said "You don't have to take it any more. You can get on your mobile and manipulate this show to evict the characters who annoy you". Viewers responded so eagerly that soon every new program was demanding audience involvement. These were Australia's most watched series in 2000, the year before BB arrived: Friends, E.R, Better Homes and Gardens, RPA, Renovation Rescue, Blue Heelers, Seachange, Burke's Backyard, 60 Minutes, Who Wants to be a Millionaire. These were Australia's most watched series in 2007: Kath and Kim, Thank God You're Here, Border Security, Dancing With The Stars, RSPCA Animal Rescue, It Takes Two, City Homicide, Australia's Got Talent, The Biggest Loser, Big Brother. Half the hits of the late Noughties are predicated on audience involvement - that's the legacy of Gretel Killeen and her gang. Of course, BB created the seeds of its own destruction. Younger viewers became addicted to participation, and mainstream television was unable to satisfy the addiction. The under 40s moved on to DVDs, video games and the internet, creating their own forms of infotainment which they and their friends can manipulate every hour. These days they rarely give a second glance to the three commercial networks, who now resemble a brontosaurus, a T. Rex and a velociraptor battling for the honour of reaching extinction first. So thankyou Big Brother. You may have been crude and silly and exploitative, but you were a force for liberation. You may actually have helped to make Australia a smarter place. To discuss this proposition, go to Comments]]> David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). To discuss Australian attitudes, go to http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.]]> tag:blogs.sunherald.com.au,2008:/whoweare//9.609 2008-07-13T23:49:47Z 2008-07-18T23:07:12Z

To discuss what the world would be like without Australia, go to Who We Are by David Dale Australians are changing the way they enjoy their DVDs. As we approach the tenth anniversary of the arrival in this country of...

David Dale Who We Are by David Dale Australians are changing the way they enjoy their DVDs. As we approach the tenth anniversary of the arrival in this country of the first flick on disc (Evita), there's much to learn from comparing what we bought in the past ten years with what we bought in the past six months. You'll get an inkling of the transformation from the tops of the charts kindly supplied by the research organisation GfK Australia ... The best selling DVDs of all time: 1. Finding Nemo; 2. Shrek 2; 3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban; 4. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers; 5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (complete list here). The best selling DVDs this year: 1. Underbelly; 2. Ratatouille; 3. Hairspray; 4. Family Guy: Blue Harvest; 5. The Bourne Ultimatum; 6. 27 Dresses; 7. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix; 8. Transformers; 9. Bee Movie; 10. Shrek The Third. This year's top 50 includes eight TV shows, such as The Sopranos, Summer Heights High, Gilmore Girls and Stargate. The all-time top 50 includes no TV shows. This year's Top 50 includes two music discs (by the violinist Andre Rieu). The all-time top 50 contains no music (although if we were examining the top 100, we'd find The Eagles: Hell Freezes Over at 72, with sales of 300,000). In the 2008 chart, one movie appears in three packages - The Bourne Ultimatum single disc, The Bourne Ultimatum two disc set (packed with bonus features), and as part of a triple pack with The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy (which also appears as a single disc at No 50). This makes Matt Damon The Biggest Star of 2008, followed by Katherine Heigl (in 27 Dresses and Knocked Up), Leonardo DiCaprio (in Blood Diamond and The Departed), and the cast of High School Musical (in the movie and its sequel). The Biggest Stars of all time would be Daniel Radcliffe (five Harry Potter flicks), Orlando Bloom (three Lord of the Rings and three Pirates of the Caribbean), Hugo Weaving (three Rings and three Matrices), Mike Myers (three Shreks), and Johnny Depp (three Pirates). But here's the biggest difference: the vast majority of the all-time top 50 is kidstuff, with animation the most represented category (the likes of Monsters Inc, The Incredibles, Madagascar, Ice Age, Cars, The Lion King and Happy Feet). Only nine of the 50 seem to have been designed for people over 18: Dirty Dancing, Gladiator, The Notebook, Troy, Dances With Wolves, Casino Royale, Love Actually, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and The Devil Wears Prada. The situation is reversed in this year's top 50, where 26 films or TV series are adult or almost-adult fare (the likes of Underbelly, 27 Dresses, Death At A Funeral, I Am Legend, Die Hard 4, The Departed, The Sopranos and the four Bournes). Are we growing up? Or has this just been a dud year for kiddy flicks? To discuss these questions, go to Comments, and to read the full charts, go to The DVDs Australia loved]]> David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). To discuss Australian attitudes, go to http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.]]> tag:blogs.sunherald.com.au,2008:/whoweare//9.608 2008-07-13T06:20:46Z 2008-07-18T23:06:48Z

To discuss the DVDs Australians love most, go to The Tribal Mind A column about Australia by David Dale, published in The Sun-Herald, 13/7/2008 If Australia didn't exist, what would the British have to look up to? With no daily...

David Dale The Tribal Mind A column about Australia by David Dale, published in The Sun-Herald, 13/7/2008 If Australia didn't exist, what would the British have to look up to? With no daily doses of Neighbours and Home and Away, there'd be no role models of prosperous middle class life in sunny houses inhabited by glowing young people with straight white teeth. The British would have to import Canadian soaps, which would fail utterly to lift them out of their damp squalid lives. That was how several readers responded to this column's invitation last week to speculate on what the world would be like if there had never been a country called Australia. Other readers condemned it as an exercise in vanity. As Michael McGrath observed: "What unbelievable arrogance to think that Australia counts for much of anything. Once again we have a much higher vision of our own self importance. With only 20 million people we think we can push the major economies around. Lets get real." Peter B countered with praise for "Australia's attachment to the 'Fair go'. This has had a dramatic effect on politics around the world. The secret ballot developed in South Australia and Victoria is still called the "Australian ballot" in the USA. We also, along with NZ, were the first to emancipate women and give them the vote. Compulsory, preferential voting, the Electoral Commission, the Hare-Clarke multi-seat voting system are all major factors in keeping our democracy strong and responsible." Alex agreed that "Yes, the world may not miss us, but what they will miss is a good 50 year (if not greater) time lag in technology that we would have invented. Think about it, if we didn't exist, there'd be no fridge to bung our food in, no esky to replace the non-existent fridge, no penicillin to cure our ailments, no lifesavers to pull us out of the water and most importantly no cold beer/Sunday BBQ. All this won't evolve until some smart pup from New Zealand decides that there is more to life than sitting watching the sheep! And that may take some time ..." Other readers took the game less seriously. Spike pointed out that "the map of Tassie would have to be described by other more vulgar names". Robert suggested: "London's pubs would be shut for want of staff. Chinese and Japanese industry would shut for want of iron and coal. Cricket would be a game known for its civility and good sportsmanship. The US would set off alone on its next pointless military campaign." Colin (living in the US) said: "The World would be a much sadder place without Australia. No visiting the best harbour in the world. No more cracking road trips with a hire car cutting across the deserted red desert. No more of the best pies in the world. No more stunning desert night skies. No bushtucker man. No more of some of the best rock music in the World." A reader who wished to be known as "Marakesh" said "Most countries in the world would have to find another tree to plant in their millions; the worlds landscape would be vastly different without Australia's greatest export, the GUM TREE. There is hardly a country in the world which hasn't taken to the eucalypt. In fact in some countries, it is now the dominant species. Brazil, China, Madagascar, South Africa all produce more eucalypt timber than Australia!!" Ross added "A Prime Minister who held the world beer sculling record for many years. That's something to be proud of." Bigbill speculated that "Pavlova would still exist, but it would be known as 'thut dusurt wuth thuh cream in thuh muddle, 'ay'." And the alarming notion "No Rolf Harris! The entire UK would go barmy for lack of entertainment!" came from "Timey Kangaroo-Downsport", while Penny Auburn reminded us that "An Aussie invented the ring pull can ... it doesn't get much more important than that. Just think of all the time we don't have to waste on can openers." Perhaps, but there must be more. If you can think of them, join the discussion at Comments]]> David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). To discuss Australian attitudes, go to http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.]]> tag:blogs.sunherald.com.au,2008:/whoweare//9.611 2008-07-10T06:56:02Z 2008-07-23T00:12:45Z

This week of the blog is now history. For the latest media discusion, bookmark http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare. To discuss the DVDs Australians love most, go to The Tribal Mind To discuss what the world would be like without Australia, go to Who...

David Dale http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare. To discuss the DVDs Australians love most, go to The Tribal Mind To discuss what the world would be like without Australia, go to Who We Are The ratings race, updated 10am Sunday Seven won Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, while Nine won Sunday, Thursday and Saturday. At the end of the week, the prime time audience shares are: Seven 27.3 per cent, Nine 26.3, Ten 21.5, ABC 17.6, SBS 7.2. What Australia watched, Saturday Description STN Network Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Network 7 1,295,000 364,000 353,000 270,000 145,000 163,000 2 FUNNIEST HOME VIDEO SHOW Network 9 1,168,000 337,000 320,000 218,000 137,000 156,000 3 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Network 9 1,072,000 277,000 380,000 178,000 141,000 96,000 4 ABC NEWS-SAT Network ABC1 892,000 254,000 238,000 194,000 88,000 118,000 5 RAISE YOUR VOICE Network 9 883,000 270,000 193,000 201,000 88,000 131,000 6 THE GREAT OUTDOORS Network 7 828,000 281,000 190,000 159,000 92,000 106,000 7 SATURDAY NIGHT AFL Network TEN 766,000 433,000 79,000 112,000 142,000 8 TEN NEWS AT FIVE SAT Network TEN 756,000 229,000 268,000 148,000 110,000 9 THE BILL Network ABC1 747,000 187,000 224,000 120,000 83,000 133,000 10 SATURDAY AFTERNOON AFL Network TEN 723,000 68,000 397,000 57,000 98,000 102,000 11 GARDENING AUSTRALIA Network ABC1 720,000 169,000 213,000 157,000 85,000 96,000 16 SEVEN'S R.U: TRI-NATIONS: AUS V S A Network 7 610,000 342,000 34,000 176,000 17,000 41,000 (OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals) Continued here]]> What Australia watched, Friday Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 SEVEN NEWS Network 7 1,456,000 403,000 358,000 277,000 154,000 265,000 2 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Network 7 1,317,000 390,000 381,000 214,000 147,000 184,000 3 TODAY TONIGHT Network 7 1,195,000 360,000 287,000 192,000 138,000 217,000 4 SILENT WITNESS Network ABC1 1,168,000 385,000 298,000 204,000 127,000 155,000 5 ABC NEWS Network ABC1 1,155,000 320,000 378,000 204,000 103,000 151,000 6 NINE NEWS Network 9 1,128,000 310,000 366,000 233,000 127,000 92,000 7 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Network 9 1,083,000 267,000 331,000 230,000 117,000 138,000 8 A CURRENT AFFAIR Network 9 1,061,000 280,000 361,000 230,000 103,000 85,000 9 HOME AND AWAY Network 7 1,034,000 341,000 252,000 179,000 115,000 147,000 10 BIG BROTHER - FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE Network TEN 997,000 282,000 306,000 189,000 113,000 108,000 11 SPOOKS Network ABC1 976,000 316,000 245,000 187,000 95,000 132,000 17 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 16: KANGAROOS VS COLLINGWOOD Network 7 743,000 12,000 486,000 9,000 110,000 126,000 18 BIG BROTHER Network TEN 741,000 189,000 215,000 174,000 84,000 79,000 20 SCHOOL OF ROCK RPT Network TEN 720,000 199,000 228,000 115,000 86,000 91,000 22 NINE'S LIVE FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Network 9 603,000 320,000 282,000 45 NINE'S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Network 9 285,000 184,000 101,000 If Catholics were a united viewing block, you'd have expected the coverage of Pope Benedict's activities to have boosted ratings. But audiences for news were down on Thursday, and Seven's special papal report at 4.30 pulled only 323,000 in the mainland capitals. What Australia watched, Thursday Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,406,000 374,000 353,000 297,000 149,000 233,000 2 GETAWAY Nine 1,346,000 430,000 417,000 240,000 120,000 139,000 3 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,279,000 337,000 369,000 241,000 131,000 201,000 4 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,248,000 344,000 418,000 246,000 129,000 111,000 5 BONES Seven 1,208,000 302,000 392,000 245,000 124,000 146,000 6 HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER Seven 1,194,000 310,000 362,000 253,000 112,000 158,000 7 MY NAME IS EARL Seven 1,191,000 330,000 372,000 243,000 108,000 138,000 8 THE CELEBRITY SINGING BEE Nine 1,188,000 321,000 446,000 162,000 127,000 132,000 9 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,177,000 349,000 329,000 210,000 117,000 173,000 10 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,130,000 312,000 352,000 214,000 94,000 158,000 11 NINE NEWS Nine 1,112,000 304,000 342,000 260,000 108,000 99,000 12 LAW AND ORDER: SVU RPT Ten 1,048,000 337,000 293,000 181,000 116,000 121,000 13 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,035,000 288,000 346,000 213,000 103,000 85,000 14 LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT Ten 968,000 298,000 275,000 192,000 94,000 109,000 20 BIG BROTHER Ten 807,000 203,000 243,000 166,000 92,000 103,000 21 THE AMAZING RACE Seven 805,000 219,000 314,000 92,000 91,000 89,000 36 SUNRISE Seven 350,000 95,000 72,000 111,000 20,000 53,000 38 SEVEN NEWS SPECIAL Seven 323,000 116,000 102,000 56,000 35,000 14,000 58 TODAY Nine 257,000 73,000 90,000 48,000 21,000 24,000 What Australia watched, Wednesday Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 RSPCA ANIMAL RESCUE Seven 1,603,000 423,000 466,000 334,000 151,000 228,000 2 MEDICAL EMERGENCY Seven 1,492,000 393,000 413,000 306,000 149,000 232,000 3 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,449,000 385,000 385,000 278,000 157,000 244,000 4 CRIMINAL MINDS Seven 1,406,000 414,000 398,000 284,000 126,000 184,000 5 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC1 1,342,000 358,000 451,000 232,000 155,000 145,000 6 THE GRUEN TRANSFER ABC1 1,314,000 371,000 463,000 211,000 113,000 156,000 7 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,291,000 360,000 413,000 265,000 131,000 122,000 8 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,262,000 341,000 322,000 237,000 143,000 220,000 9 JAMIE OLIVER'S EAT TO SAVE YOUR LIFE Ten 1,180,000 364,000 388,000 145,000 158,000 126,000 10 NINE NEWS Nine 1,180,000 346,000 385,000 239,000 120,000 90,000 15 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Ten 1,045,000 304,000 345,000 175,000 111,000 111,000 16 THE HOLLOWMEN ABC1 1,040,000 310,000 388,000 132,000 88,000 123,000 18 MISSING PERSONS UNIT Nine 894,000 312,000 252,000 148,000 80,000 102,000 22 BIG BROTHER Ten 838,000 183,000 256,000 168,000 109,000 123,000 24 COLD CASE Nine 805,000 238,000 222,000 145,000 100,000 99,000 25 SEARCH & RESCUE Nine 799,000 231,000 248,000 124,000 94,000 102,000 26 FIRE 000 Nine 757,000 230,000 218,000 134,000 87,000 88,000 29 PRISON BREAK Seven 635,000 191,000 184,000 108,000 72,000 80,000 35 FOOD SAFARI RPT SBS 389,000 98,000 122,000 74,000 46,000 48,000 36 SUNRISE Seven 343,000 97,000 64,000 104,000 26,000 52,000 40 THE UNIT Seven 320,000 69,000 88,000 73,000 47,000 43,000 55 TODAY Nine 277,000 78,000 88,000 60,000 21,000 31,000 109 DAYS OF OUR LIVES Nine 107,000 38,000 21,000 28,000 10,000 10,000 What Australia watched, Tuesday Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,533,000 420,000 425,000 310,000 161,000 219,000 2 THE ONE - AUSTRALIA'S MOST GIFTED PSYCHIC Seven 1,424,000 391,000 408,000 284,000 145,000 197,000 3 WIPEOUT Nine 1,404,000 396,000 444,000 256,000 171,000 136,000 4 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,356,000 408,000 446,000 211,000 146,000 145,000 5 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,352,000 364,000 397,000 260,000 130,000 200,000 6 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,351,000 385,000 386,000 313,000 154,000 112,000 7 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,332,000 386,000 389,000 300,000 162,000 96,000 8 TWO AND A HALF MEN Nine 1,311,000 413,000 353,000 233,000 157,000 155,000 9 NCIS EP 2 RPT Ten 1,280,000 351,000 376,000 232,000 165,000 156,000 10 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,256,000 365,000 347,000 236,000 132,000 176,000 11 NINE NEWS Nine 1,236,000 344,000 387,000 266,000 145,000 93,000 12 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,215,000 335,000 385,000 214,000 115,000 166,000 13 NCIS EP 1 RPT Ten 1,106,000 249,000 370,000 233,000 114,000 140,000 14 FAMILY FORTUNES ABC1 1,084,000 301,000 321,000 228,000 110,000 124,000 21 MIRACLE ON EVEREST ABC1 848,000 223,000 273,000 173,000 76,000 104,000 22 BIG BROTHER Ten 837,000 224,000 231,000 176,000 100,000 106,000 24 LADETTE TO LADY Nine 759,000 229,000 277,000 103,000 73,000 77,000 26 RAMSAY'S BOILING POINT Seven 689,000 167,000 256,000 102,000 80,000 85,000 35 HOW TO HAVE SEX AFTER MARRIAGE Nine 483,000 155,000 146,000 61,000 63,000 59,000 The ratings race, updated 10 am Tuesday Big Brother is such a poisoned brand that not even the news of its axing could bring back viewers who might be curious to see its death throes. Last night's regular show and semi-final nomination both drew less than a million in the mainland capitals, and Ten barely beat the ABC in attracting 18 per cent of the prime time audience. Even Ten's declared target demographic -- viewers aged 18-49 -- preferred The Farmer Wants A Wife, Criminal Minds and City Homicide. You see why BB had to go. What Australia watched, Monday Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 CITY HOMICIDE Seven 1,603,000 442,000 525,000 289,000 142,000 205,000 2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,570,000 421,000 405,000 348,000 178,000 218,000 3 BORDER SECURITY (R) Seven 1,475,000 382,000 458,000 288,000 137,000 209,000 4 CRIMINAL MINDS - MON Seven 1,454,000 397,000 492,000 237,000 143,000 186,000 5 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,407,000 367,000 386,000 287,000 150,000 217,000 6 THE FARMER WANTS A WIFE Nine 1,373,000 367,000 478,000 237,000 141,000 149,000 7 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,328,000 390,000 402,000 263,000 133,000 140,000 8 NINE NEWS Nine 1,277,000 367,000 374,000 262,000 141,000 133,000 9 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,265,000 375,000 384,000 265,000 123,000 117,000 10 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,243,000 342,000 357,000 237,000 131,000 176,000 11 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,201,000 332,000 404,000 218,000 102,000 145,000 12 DAVID ATTENBOROUGH'S LIFE OF MAMMALS Nine 1,197,000 328,000 368,000 229,000 123,000 148,000 13 SURF PATROL Seven 1,167,000 312,000 389,000 202,000 109,000 154,000 14 BIG BROTHER NOMINATION Ten 997,000 272,000 301,000 188,000 119,000 117,000 15 BIG BROTHER Ten 982,000 245,000 304,000 205,000 108,000 121,000 16 AUSTRALIAN STORY ABC1 965,000 250,000 272,000 223,000 91,000 129,000 17 ELDERS WITH ANDREW DENTON ABC1 951,000 300,000 324,000 143,000 83,000 100,000 18 TOP GEAR SBS 922,000 288,000 264,000 162,000 104,000 104,000 19 GOOD NEWS WEEK Ten 889,000 264,000 272,000 143,000 105,000 106,000 20 THE F WORD Nine 858,000 221,000 309,000 138,000 95,000 94,000 28 MARK LOVES SHARON Ten 635,000 199,000 189,000 93,000 89,000 65,000 32 BIG BROTHER - BIG MOUTH Ten 538,000 184,000 142,000 86,000 76,000 50,000 35 2008 MISS UNIVERSE PAGEANT Seven 441,000 142,000 127,000 67,000 54,000 50,000 44 TOUR DE FRANCE 2008 STAGE 10 SBS 303,000 101,000 89,000 27,000 38,000 48,000 45 WIGGLE AND LEARN ABC1 285,000 76,000 80,000 56,000 24,000 49,000 (OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals) The ratings race, updated 10am Monday Most new TV shows this year have performed modestly or failed miserably, but last week was a dream come true for the programmers, as viewers responded eagerly to every experiment. Channel Seven wondered if anyone in this sceptical age might be curious about mindreading, and found 1.5 million in the mainland capitals mysteriously drawn to The One: Australia's Most Gifted Psychic. The ABC researched the market for political satire, and drew 1.2 million to The Hollowmen (which completes the Wednesday power package of Spicks and Specks and The Gruen Transfer, both on 1.3 million). Channel Nine drew 1.3 million for both Wipeout and Celebrity Singing Bee. And just before calling in the executioner, Channel Ten augmented Big Brother's audience to 1.4 million by flying in Pamela Anderson (although this sagged to 1.0 million for her second appearance). See the Top 40 programs, below Channel Nine won a hard-fought week with 27.3 per cent of the prime time audience, followed by Seven on 26.8 per cent, Ten on 21.1, ABC on 17.8 and SBS on 7.0 (thanks mainly to Top Gear, with 838,000 and Bill Gates: How a geek changed the world with 522,000. We are now past the halfway mark in the "official" ratings year, and Nine announces that it has averaged 27.9 per cent of the prime time audience for the first half (0.9 per cent up on last year), while Seven has averaged 27.6 (down 5.6 per cent), Ten 21.6 (up 0.4), ABC 17.2 (up 5.6) and SBS 5.7 (up 1.9). What Australia watched, Sunday Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 60 MINUTES Nine 1,821,000 508,000 566,000 360,000 172,000 216,000 2 DOMESTIC BLITZ Nine 1,680,000 529,000 466,000 351,000 182,000 152,000 3 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,641,000 530,000 458,000 354,000 192,000 108,000 4 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,576,000 438,000 454,000 313,000 148,000 223,000 5 CSI: MIAMI Nine 1,478,000 393,000 455,000 308,000 160,000 162,000 6 BATTLE OF THE CHOIRS Seven 1,241,000 377,000 367,000 222,000 121,000 155,000 7 ABC NEWS-SUN ABC1 1,142,000 277,000 397,000 211,000 110,000 147,000 8 WITHOUT A TRACE Nine 1,142,000 301,000 399,000 200,000 127,000 113,000 9 DOCTOR WHO ABC1 1,101,000 339,000 311,000 230,000 95,000 126,000 10 ROVE Ten 1,073,000 283,000 360,000 157,000 149,000 125,000 11 J.K. ROWLING: A YEAR IN THE LIFE Seven 1,059,000 266,000 324,000 257,000 93,000 118,000 12 PRIVATE PRACTICE Seven 1,023,000 314,000 301,000 205,000 91,000 112,000 13 BIG BROTHER LIVE EVICTION Ten 1,017,000 285,000 314,000 168,000 125,000 124,000 14 THE EINSTEIN FACTOR ABC1 908,000 226,000 302,000 183,000 94,000 103,000 15 DOCTOR WHO: CONFIDENTIAL CUTDOWN ABC1 875,000 263,000 241,000 197,000 69,000 105,000 16 DEXTER Ten 862,000 201,000 283,000 116,000 127,000 135,000 17 BIG BROTHER SUN Ten 826,000 226,000 246,000 141,000 93,000 120,000 19 LIPSTICK JUNGLE Seven 655,000 201,000 210,000 102,000 66,000 76,000 21 M-THE GOLDEN BOWL ABC1 614,000 212,000 178,000 95,000 47,000 81,000 22 SENSING MURDER Nine 598,000 152,000 195,000 107,000 81,000 62,000 23 NINE'S SUNDAY FOOTBALL Nine 573,000 306,000 Not shown 258,000 9,000 Not shown Not shown 27 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 15: WESTERN BULLDOGS VS MELBOURNE Seven 416,000 5,000 297,000 13,000 93,000 8,000 30 FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS Ten 357,000 105,000 91,000 46,000 60,000 54,000 32 THE EMPEROR'S TOMB: THE SECRET OF ZHAO LING SBS 334,000 96,000 93,000 80,000 42,000 25,000 What Pay TV subscribers watched 1 NRL SHARKS V SEA EAGLES Fox Sports 2 316 2 NRL BULLDOGS V RABBITOHS Fox Sports 2 297,000 3 NRL WARRIORS V COWBOYS Fox Sports 2 210 4 FAMILY GUY FOX8 206,000 5 LIVE: RUGBY UNION: TRI NATIONS Fox Sports 3 198,000 6 FUTURAMA FOX8 188 7 THE SIMPSONS FOX8 Tue 19:11 144 172 8 PROJECT RUNWAY AUSTRALIA Arena Mon 20:31 141 172 (OzTAM national survey) What Australia watched, week ending July 12 Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 60 MINUTES Network 9 1,942,000 569,000 558,000 362,000 212,000 242,000 2 CITY HOMICIDE Network 7 1,583,000 417,000 518,000 260,000 163,000 225,000 3 DOMESTIC BLITZ Network 9 1,582,000 481,000 481,000 266,000 168,000 186,000 4 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Network 9 1,563,000 475,000 508,000 242,000 193,000 146,000 5 CSI Network 9 1,541,000 382,000 465,000 303,000 186,000 205,000 6 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Network 7 1,527,000 341,000 452,000 345,000 166,000 222,000 7 SEVEN NEWS Network 7 1,511,000 413,000 414,000 293,000 160,000 231,000 8 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Network 7 1,486,000 464,000 456,000 230,000 132,000 204,000 9 BORDER SECURITY (R) Network 7 1,485,000 436,000 432,000 280,000 130,000 208,000 10 THE ONE - AUSTRALIA'S MOST GIFTED PSYCHIC Network 7 1,467,000 411,000 374,000 327,000 157,000 199,000 11 TWO AND A HALF MEN Network 9 1,438,000 427,000 475,000 229,000 150,000 155,000 12 BIG BROTHER - PAMELA ANDERSON ENTERS THE HOUSE Network TEN 1,417,000 415,000 412,000 291,000 145,000 155,000 13 SURF PATROL Network 7 1,408,000 384,000 445,000 254,000 137,000 190,000 14 TODAY TONIGHT Network 7 1,384,000 397,000 377,000 256,000 149,000 204,000 15 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Network 7 1,368,000 416,000 352,000 281,000 125,000 193,000 16 SPICKS AND SPECKS Network ABC1 1,349,000 365,000 428,000 257,000 155,000 145,000 17 RSPCA ANIMAL RESCUE Network 7 1,348,000 361,000 409,000 246,000 128,000 204,000 18 WIPEOUT Network 9 1,347,000 427,000 425,000 223,000 140,000 131,000 19 NCIS EP 2 RPT Network TEN 1,316,000 356,000 423,000 230,000 152,000 155,000 20 THE GRUEN TRANSFER Network ABC1 1,302,000 365,000 427,000 239,000 131,000 140,000 21 GETAWAY Network 9 1,287,000 396,000 373,000 224,000 136,000 157,000 22 ALL SAINTS Network 7 1,273,000 388,000 397,000 211,000 134,000 143,000 23 THE FARMER WANTS A WIFE Network 9 1,269,000 362,000 395,000 228,000 138,000 146,000 24 THE CELEBRITY SINGING BEE Network 9 1,263,000 383,000 422,000 166,000 142,000 150,000 25 GLADIATORS Network 7 1,258,000 287,000 430,000 239,000 135,000 168,000 26 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Network 9 1,251,000 347,000 380,000 260,000 132,000 132,000 27 NINE NEWS Network 9 1,241,000 348,000 387,000 268,000 126,000 113,000 28 CRIMINAL MINDS Network 7 1,239,000 345,000 399,000 189,000 128,000 178,000 29 THE VICAR OF DIBLEY Network 7 1,237,000 277,000 403,000 237,000 136,000 184,000 30 MEDICAL EMERGENCY Network 7 1,230,000 305,000 383,000 243,000 114,000 186,000 31 ABC NEWS-SUN Network ABC1 1,227,000 369,000 332,000 254,000 116,000 155,000 32 LAW AND ORDER: SVU Network TEN 1,225,000 369,000 357,000 215,000 136,000 147,000 33 DAVID ATTENBOROUGH'S LIFE OF MAMMALS Network 9 1,205,000 329,000 336,000 251,000 139,000 150,000 34 HOME AND AWAY Network 7 1,194,000 361,000 331,000 214,000 127,000 162,000 35 THE HOLLOWMEN Network ABC1 1,185,000 374,000 425,000 156,000 100,000 130,000 36 A CURRENT AFFAIR Network 9 1,182,000 329,000 368,000 266,000 119,000 100,000 37 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Network 9 1,172,000 268,000 401,000 241,000 152,000 110,000 38 ABC NEWS-EV Network ABC1 1,171,000 325,000 354,000 227,000 118,000 148,000 39 BATTLE OF THE CHOIRS Network 7 1,159,000 326,000 382,000 200,000 123,000 129,000 40 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEO SHOW Network 9 1,155,000 279,000 361,000 224,000 149,000 142,000 41 SILENT WITNESS Network ABC1 1,136,000 313,000 328,000 232,000 120,000 144,000 42 MY NAME IS EARL - THU Network 7 1,127,000 336,000 316,000 244,000 98,000 134,000 43 DOCTOR WHO Network ABC1 1,112,000 381,000 282,000 229,000 88,000 133,000 David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). To discuss Australian attitudes, go to http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare. ]]> tag:blogs.sunherald.com.au,2008:/whoweare//9.605 2008-07-07T05:56:47Z 2008-07-18T23:07:47Z

To learn what the world would be like if there were no Australia, go to Who We Are. by David Dale This column always wants to know about records being broken, so we leapt to attention last week when we...

David Dale Who We Are. by David Dale This column always wants to know about records being broken, so we leapt to attention last week when we received a press release headed "Australia's Next Top Model most-watched program ever on subscription TV". The release went on to announce that the two hour finale of a show in which a girl accused of bullying was rewarded by her accusers, a host vanished due to stage fright, and fill-in host Charlotte Dawson showed she was Pay TV's answer to Sonia Kruger (ie. sexy, smart and funny) had averaged 309,000 viewers across the country. That figure didn't look like much to get excited about, given all the publicity Top Model had attracted, but the Pay TV people live in a world of their own. Apparently, when a prime time show attracts 309,000 viewers, the Pay programmers open champagne. If it happened on free to air TV, the programmers would open a vein. The smallness of the audience kept nagging at me. The record breakers on FTA television have included the 2004 final of Australian Idol, which drew 3.3 million in the mainland capitals, the 2003 final of The Block, with 3.1 million, and the 2004 final of Big Brother, with 2.9 million. If 27 per cent of Australian homes subscribe to Foxtel or Austar, you'd expect Pay's top shows to attract 27 per cent of the audience of FTA's top shows. As it turned out, the headline was wrong. When I searched through the chaos that is my filing system. I found that last year, a soccer match between Japan and Australia drew 419,000 viewers to Fox Sports 2. So the headline on the press release must have meant Top Model was the most watched program that was not a sporting event. No, that can't be right either. Last year an episode of Parkinson in which he interviewed Shane Warne drew 415,000 to UKTV and a showing of the movie High School Musical 2 drew 314,000 to the Disney channel. What the headline should have said was that this year's season of Top Model was the most watched series ever shown on Fox 8, which is the most popular Pay station. An over-enthusiastic publicist has done the Pay industry a disservice by drawing attention to the fundamental mystery of Australian media: if 2.2 million households, containing more than 6 million people, are paying at least $60 a month to receive at least 60 extra channels by cable or satellite, why do Pay's regular shows attract such tiny audiences? Pay has, after all, been the only true success story in television this decade. Between the first half of 2003 and the first half of 2008, the total prime time audience of Nine, Seven and Ten has dropped from 3.35 million to 3.08 million (down 7 per cent), while the pay audience has risen from 514,000 to 772,000 (up 50 per cent). So why has no Pay series ever been able to attract more than 309,000 viewers, a figure that wouldn't even satisfy SBS? Why, when Pay offers such a dazzling diversity of content, do most subscribers use it most of the time for rugby league, soccer, and The Simpsons? Are Pay viewers the most boring people on the continent? If you can answer these questions, go to Comments. ]]> David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). To discuss Australian attitudes, go to http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.]]> tag:blogs.sunherald.com.au,2008:/whoweare//9.604 2008-07-06T06:33:26Z 2008-07-18T23:08:41Z

To discuss why Pay TV programs have so few viewers, go to The Tribal Mind A column about Australia by David Dale, published in The Sun-Herald, 6/7/2008 In the movie It's a Wonderful Life, an angel shows a depressed Jimmy...

David Dale The Tribal Mind A column about Australia by David Dale, published in The Sun-Herald, 6/7/2008 In the movie It's a Wonderful Life, an angel shows a depressed Jimmy Stewart what the world would be like if he had never been born. It's a much grimmer place. Australians are feeling a bit down at the moment, according to the latest Morgan poll, with a big drop in consumer confidence and only 48 per cent saying the country is "heading in the right direction". So I'm going to emulate the angel and update a list I started making at the turn of this century aimed at describing what the world would be like if Australia had never been born -- if there had been no large land mass for the Portuguese, Dutch, French and English to bump into when they sailed southwards ... There would be no cure for 80 per cent of the world's stomach ulcers (WA's Barry Marshall and Robin Warren discovered that antibiotics kill a stomach bug called helicobacter). Gwyneth Paltrow would have won the Oscar for playing Virginia Woolf in The Hours. She would have married Tom Cruise but then he'd have divorced her and married Katie Holmes. The term "fatal shore" would refer to the east coast of Canada, where the British would have dumped surplus convicts. The world's strangest animal would be the giraffe. The Japanese would be free to hunt whales all over the Pacific (but there'd be a lot more ocean in which the whales could hide). The most beautiful coral reef in the world would be in the Red Sea, off Egypt. Olympic swimming events would include breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly and dog paddle, but no freestyle (originally called the Australian Crawl, in this universe). Tina Arena, Natalie Imbruglia and Vanessa Amorosi would be big names on the Italian music charts. There would be no rugby league and the world's best rugby team would be England. Peach Melba would be known as peaches with strawberry sauce. At least 60,000 more people would be deaf (Victoria's Graeme Clark developed the cochlear implant). Liza Minelli would have married a different homosexual. The Bee Gees would have recorded Stayin Alive, but not Spicks and Specks (which would not be the name of a TV show). Morningtown Ride and The Carnival Is Over would have been early hits for Abba. There would be no Fox network and hence no Simpsons. AC/DC would refer only to electricity. Timor and New Guinea would be part of Indonesia. Californians would always win the World Surfing Championships. There would be nobody in the world called Kylie, let alone Dannii. The animal liberation movement would have no bible (Victorian bio-ethicist Peter Singer wrote Animal Rights and Human Obligations). The only thing called a thong would be a form of underwear. The British would have to carry their wine to parties in glass flagons, because there would be no cardboard casks. The world's melanoma rate would be much lower. Mt. Kosciuszko would be in Nepal. Russell Crowe would have won an oscar for Gladiator, but never would have made The Sum of Us or Romper Stomper. Mel Gibson would have trained at the Julliard School, New York. He'd have made Lethal Weapon and Braveheart, but not Mad Max. Pavlova would be indisputably a New Zealand creation. The kiwi kiddy band The Wuggles would be a huge hit in America, as would a US sitcom based on the classic Auckland comedy Keth end Kum. OK, now it's just getting silly, and we've barely begun. If you can think of any other ways the world would be different without Australia, go to Comments]]> David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). To discuss Australian attitudes, go to http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.]]> tag:blogs.sunherald.com.au,2008:/whoweare//9.487 2008-06-30T13:00:27Z 2008-07-24T09:26:40Z

List of the 125 highest-grossing movies of all time, and list of the 65 movies seen by the greatest number of Australians, prepared by David Dale from data provided by the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia. Last updated...

David Dale http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare Top flicks so far in 2008: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull $29.2m; Sex and The City $26.3m; I Am Legend $23m; Kung Fu Panda $24.5m; Iron Man $20m; The Dark Knight $18.2m; Hancock $18.3m; Alvin and the Chipmunks $17.5m; Death At A Funeral $16m; 27 Dresses $15.5m; Bee Movie $15m; The Golden Compass $14.7m; Narnia: Prince Caspian $13.7m; Get Smart $15.5m; National Treasure Book of Secrets $13m; Enchanted $12.5m; Dr Suess Horton Hears a Who $12m; American Gangster $11.5m; Juno $11.5m; You Don't Mess With The Zohan $11.1; Atonement $10.5m; Mamma Mia $14m. Chart 1: The Australian box office 1. Titanic (1997) $58 million 2. Shrek 2 (2004) $50m 3. The Return of the King (2003) $49m 4. Crocodile Dundee (1986) $48m 5. Fellowship of the Ring (2001) $47m 6. The Two Towers (2002) $46m 7. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) $42m 8. Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace (1999) $39m 9. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) $38 m 10. Babe (1995) $37m 11. Finding Nemo (2003) $37m To read and discuss the complete charts, go to The culture]]> 26. Casino Royale (2006) $32m 27. The Simpsons Movie (2007) $31.5m 28. Happy Feet (2006) $31.5m 29. Gladiator (2001) $31m 30. Spider-Man (2002) $31m 31. Forrest Gump (1994) $30.5m 32. Star Wars (1977) $30m 33. Independence Day (1996) $29.5m 34. The Sixth Sense (1999) $29m 35. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) $29m 36. My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) $28m 37. Moulin Rouge (2001) $28m 38. Transformers (2007) $27.5m 39. The Lion King (1994) $27m 40. The Incredibles (2005) $27m 41. The Da Vinci Code (2006) $27m 42. Sex and the City $27m 43. Mrs Doubtfire (1993) $26m 44. Pretty Woman (1990) $26m 45. Monsters Inc (2001) $25.5m 46. Pirates of the Caribbean (2003) $25.5m 47. Madagascar (2005) $25m 48. Crocodile Dundee II (1988) $25m 49. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) $25m 50. Ice Age 2: The Meltdown (2006) $24.5m 51. Kung Fu Panda $24m 52. Saving Private Ryan (1998) $24m 53. Spider-Man 2 (2004) $24m 54. Spider-Man 3 (2007) $24m 55. A Night At The Museum (2007) $24m 56. Twister (1996) $23.5m 57. Troy (2004) $23m 58. The Full Monty (1997) $23m 59. The Matrix (1999) $23m 60. Men in Black (1997) $23m 61. I Am Legend (2008) 23m 62. Mission Impossible 2 (2000) $22.5m 63. What Women Want (2000) $22.5m 64. Bridget Jones Diary (2001) $22.5m 65. Strictly Ballroom (1992) $22m 66. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) $22m 67. Ocean's 11 (2002) $22m 68. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) 22m 69. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) $21.5m 70. King Kong (2005) $21.5m 71. Ghost (1990) $21m 72. Meet the Parents (2000) $21m 73. Liar Liar (1997) $21m 74. Notting Hill (1999) $21m 75. War of the Worlds (2005) $21m 76. Sister Act (1992) $20.5m 77. Bruce Almighty (2003) $20.5m 78. Ice Age (2002) $20.5m 79. Toy Story 2 (1999) $20m 80. Cast Away (2000) $20m 81 The Dark Knight (2008) ?? 82 Hancock (2008) ?? 83. The Mask (1994) $20m 84. Stuart Little (2000) $20m 85. The Lost World (1997) $20m 86. A Bug's Life (1998) $20m 87. Dances With Wolves (1991) $20m 88. Miss Congeniality (2000) $20m 89. The Day After Tomorrow (2004) $20m 90. There's Something about Mary (1998) $20m 90. Mr and Mrs Smith (2005) $20m 91. Iron Man (2008) $20m 92. A Beautiful Mind (2002) $19.5m 93. Bean (1997) $19m 94. American Beauty (2000) $19m 95. Charlie's Angels (2000) $19m 96. As Good As It Gets (1998) $19m 97. Pearl Harbor (2001) $19m 98. Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) $19m 99. Charlie's Angels 2: Full Throttle (2003) $19m 100. Terminator 3 (2003) $19m 98. Chicago (2003) $19m 99. Grease (1978) $18.5m 100. Die Another Day (2002) $18.5m 100. Borat (2006) 18.5m 101. Love Actually (2003) $18.5m 102. Matrix Revolutions (2003) $18m 103. The Mummy (1999) $18m 102. Fatal Attraction (1987) $18m 103. Aladdin (1993) $18m 104. The Bodyguard (1993) $18m 105. Speed (1994) $18m 106. Batman Forever (1995) $18m 107. The Dish (2000) $18m 108. The Mummy Returns (2002) $18m 109. Scooby Doo (2002) $18m 110. Bridget Jones 2: The Edge of Reason $18m 111. Cars (2006) 18m 112. Ocean's 13 (2007) $18m 113 Alvin and the Chipmunks (2008) $17.5m 114 Men in Black II (2002) $17.5m 115 Erin Brockovich (2000) $17m 116 Three Men and a Baby (1988) $17m 117 My Best Friend's Wedding (1997) $17m 118 Man From Snowy River (1982) $17m 119 Deep Impact (1998) $17m 120 Casper (1995) $17m 121 The Wedding Singer (1998) $17m 122 Wild Hogs (2007) $17m 123 Mr Bean's Holiday (2007) $17m 125 X-Men 3: The Last Stand (2006) $16.5m 126 Dr Dolittle (1998) $16.5m 127 Wedding Crashers (2005) $16.5m 128 Cats and Dogs (2001) $16.5m 129 Ghostbusters (1984) $16.5m 130 Priscilla Queen of the Desert (1994) $16.5m 131 Dumb and Dumber (1994) $16.5m 132 X-Men 2 (2003) $16.5m 133 Robin Hood Prince of Thieves (1991) $16.5m 134 8 Mile (2003) $16.5m 135 The Devil Wears Prada (2006) $16.5m 136 Hairspray (2007) $16.5m 137 Death At A Funeral (2007) 16.0m The Bourne Supremacy (2004) $16m The Bourne Identity (2002) $13m (Grease (1978) $15.2; Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) $13.9m; Jaws (1975) $13.6m; The Sound of Music (1965) $13.0m) 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 Who we are. Total ticket sales in 2007: $895.4 million, second highest figure on record. Australian films had 4 per cent of the box office, if you include Happy Feet. To compare Australia's tastes with the world's, go to international box office. Films seen by the greatest number of Australians (estimated from box office total adjusted for ticket price that year) 1 The Sound of Music (1965) 2 Crocodile Dundee (1986) 3 Star Wars (1977/97) 4 Gone With The Wind (1939) 5 E.T (1982) 6 Titanic (1997) 7 The Sting (1973) 8 Grease (1978) 9 Shrek 2 (2004) 10 Jaws (1975) 11 The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-03) 12 Dr Zhivago (1965) 13 The Towering Inferno (1974) 14 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) 15 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) 16 Ben Hur (1959) 17 Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace (1999) 18 Babe (1995) 19 Jurassic Park (1993) 20 Crocodile Dundee Two (1988) 21 South Pacific (1958) 22 My Fair Lady (1964) 23 The Man From Snowy River (1982) 24 The Poseidon Adventure (1972) 25 The Ten Commandments (1956) 26 Pretty Woman (1990) 27 Finding Nemo (2003) 28 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) 29 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) 30 Ryan's Daughter (1970) 31 Forrest Gump (1994) 32 Star Wars 3: Revenge of the Sith (2005) 33 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) 34 The Chronicles of Narnia (2005) 35 Meet The Fockers (2005) 36 Independence Day (1996) 37 Star Wars 2: Attack of the Clones (2002) 38 Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) 39 The Lion King (1994) 40 Matrix Reloaded (2003) 41 Mrs Doubtfire (1993) 42 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) 43 Shrek (2001) 44 The Exorcist (1973) 45 Gladiator (2001) 46 Return of the Jedi (1983/98) 47 The Sixth Sense (1999) 48 Ghostbusters (1984) 49 Happy Feet (2006) 50 Casino Royale (2006) 51 The Godfather (1972) 52 Moulin Rouge (2001) 53 Superman (1978) 54 Strictly Ballroom 55 The Empire Strikes Back (1980/97) 56 Gallipoli 57 A Clockwork Orange (1971) 58 Shrek The Third (2007) 59 Mad Max II (1981) 60 Spider-Man (2002) 61 My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) 62 Ghost (1990) 63 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) 64 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) 65 The Simpsons Movie (2007) 66 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) The most successful Australian films of the 21st century: 1 Moulin Rouge $27.7m, 2 Lantana $12.3m, 3 Crackerjack $8.6m, 4 Man Who Sued God $8.5m, 5 Croc Dundee in Los Angeles $7.8m, 6 Kenny 7.6m, 7 Rabbit Proof Fence 7.5m, 8 Wolf Creek 6.1m, 9 Dirty Deeds 5.1m, 10 Japanese Story 4.5m, 11 The Crocodile Hunter 3.9m, 12 Little Fish 3.7m, 13 Fat Pizza 3.6m, 14 Ten Canoes 3.3m, 15 Kokoda 3.1m, 16 Boy Town 3.1m, 17 Look Both Ways 3.0m, 18 The Hard Word 2.9m, 19 Romulus My Father 2.5m; 20 The Black Balloon 2.2m]]> tag:blogs.sunherald.com.au,2008:/whoweare//9.488 2008-06-30T12:10:14Z 2008-06-30T08:15:41Z

For the latest media trends, go to http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/. Lists of top selling albums and most successful performers, prepared by David Dale and last updated June 29, 2008. The top selling albums of the past 20 years 1. Whispering Jack (John...

David Dale http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/. Lists of top selling albums and most successful performers, prepared by David Dale and last updated June 29, 2008. The top selling albums of the past 20 years 1. Whispering Jack (John Farnham) 2. Come On Over (Shania Twain) 3. Jagged Little Pill (Alanis Morissette) 4. Innocent Eyes (Delta Goodrem) 5. Music Box (Mariah Carey) 6. Savage Garden (Savage Garden) 7. Falling Into You (Celine Dion) 8. Recurring Dream (Crowded House) 9. Abba Gold (Abba) 10. Immaculate Collection (Madonna) 11. Age of Reason (John Farnham) 12. The Very Best of (The Eagles) 13. Don't Ask (Tina Arena) 14. Remasters (Led Zeppelin) 15. 1 (The Beatles) 2000 16. The Sound of White (Missy Higgins) 17. Soul Deep (Jimmy Barnes) 18. Forgiven Not Forgotten (The Corrs) 19. Come Away With Me (Norah Jones) 20. Back to Bedlam (James Blunt) 21 I'm Not Dead (Pink) 22 Yourself or Someone Like You (Matchbox 20) 23 Forrest Gump (Soundtrack) To read and discuss the complete charts, go to The culture]]> The top selling albums each year 2007 1 CALL ME IRRESPONSIBLE Michael Buble 2 I'M NOT DEAD P!nk 3 FUTURE SEX/LOVE SOUNDS Justin Timberlake 4 ON A CLEAR NIGHT Missy Higgins 5 THE DUTCHESS Fergie 2006 1 BACK TO BEDLAM James Blunt 2 I'M NOT DEAD P!nk 3 REACH OUT: THE MOTOWN RECORD Human Nature 2005 1 THE SOUND OF WHITE Missy Higgins 2 BREAKAWAY Kelly Clarkson 3 IT'S TIME Michael Buble 2004 1 GET BORN Jet (Aus) 2 THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT Shannon Noll (Aus) 3 FEELER Pete Murray (Aus) 2003 1 INNOCENT EYES Delta Goodrem 2 COME AWAY WITH ME Norah Jones 3 LET GO Avril Lavigne 2002 1 THE EMINEM SHOW Eminem 2 LAUNDRY SERVICE Shakira 3 BARRICADES & BRICKWALLS Kasey Chambers 2001 1 MOULIN ROUGE Soundtrack 2 NO ANGEL Dido 3 HUMAN CLAY Creed 2000 1 1 The Beatles 2 ODYSSEY NUMBER FIVE Powderfinger 3 AFFIRMATION Savage Garden 1999 1 COME ON OVER Shania Twain 2 LIVE - ONE NIGHT ONLY Bee Gees 3 AMERICANA The Offspring 1998 1 YOURSELF OR SOMEONE LIKE YOU Matchbox 20 2 AQUARIUM Aqua 3 TITANIC Soundtrack 1997 1 SAVAGE GARDEN SAVAGE GARDEN (AUST) 2 ROMEO & JULIET SOUNDTRACK 3 MIDDLE OF NOWHERE HANSON 1996 1 JAGGED LITTLE PILL ALANIS MORISSETTE 2 FALLING INTO YOU CELINE DION 3 FORGIVEN, NOT FORGOTTEN THE CORRS 1995 1 DON'T ASK TINA ARENA 2 THE COLOUR OF MY LOVE CELINE DION 3 NO NEED TO ARGUE THE CRANBERRIES 1994 1 MUSIC BOX MARIAH CAREY 2 SO FAR SO GOOD BRYAN ADAMS 3 CROSS ROAD - THE BEST OF BON JOVI 1993 1 THE BODYGUARD SOUNDTRACK 2 UNPLUGGED ERIC CLAPTON 3 BAT OUT OF HELL PART II - BACK INTO HELL MEAT LOAF 1992 1 JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR '92 AUSTRALIAN CAST 2 BABY ANIMALS BABY ANIMALS 3 SOUL DEEP JIMMY BARNES 1991 1 RISE DARYL BRAITHWAITE 2 VAGABOND HEART ROD STEWART 3 GREATEST HITS EURYTHMICS 1990 1 CHAIN REACTION JOHN FARNHAM 2 IN CONCERT CARRERAS, DOMINGO, PAVAROTTI 3 BLUE SKY MINING MIDNIGHT OIL 1989 VOLUME ONE TRAVELING WILBURYS 2 ...ISH 1927 3 HYSTERIA DEF LEPPARD 1988 1 KICK INXS 2 DIRTY DANCING SOUNDTRACK BMG 3 FREIGHT TRAIN HEART JIMMY BARNES FESTIVAL 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 Who we are. The all-time more than 500,000 sellers, according to ARIA accreditations 1. Whispering Jack (John Farnham) 24 platinum* 2. Bat Out of Hell (Meatloaf) 23p 3. Come On Over (Shania Twain) 15p 4. Jagged Little Pill (Alanis Morissette) 14p 5. Innocent Eyes (Delta Goodrem) 14p 6. Greatest Hits (Queen) 14p 7. Music Box Mariah Carey 13p 8. Thriller (Michael Jackson) 12p 9. Rumours (Fleetwood Mac) 12p 10. Savage Garden (Savage Garden) 12p 11. Falling Into You (Celine Dion) 12p 12. Recurring Dream (Crowded House) 12p 13. Abba Gold (Abba) 11p 14. Immaculate Collection (Madonna) 11p 15. Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd) 11p 16. Age of Reason (John Farnham) 11p 17. The Very Best of (The Eagles) 11p 18. War of the Worlds (Jeff Wayne) 10p 19. Don't Ask (Tina Arena) 10p 20. Remasters (Led Zeppelin) 10p 21. 1 (The Beatles) 9p 22. The Sound of White (Missy Higgins) 9p 23. Soul Deep (Jimmy Barnes) 9p 24. Chisel (Cold Chisel) 9p. 25. Come Away With Me (Norah Jones) 9p 26. Greatest Hits (Fleetwood Mac) 9p 27. Fever (Kylie Minogue) 8p 28. Yourself or Someone Like You (Matchbox 20) 8p 29. Forgiven Not Forgotten (The Corrs) 8p 30. Get Born (Jet) 8p 31. Greatest Hits (Robbie Williams) 8p 32. Unplugged (Eric Clapton) 8p 33. Back to Bedlam (James Blunt) 8p 34. Best of 1980-1990 (U2) 8p 35. Californication (Red Hot Chilli Peppers) 8p 36. Symbols (Led Zeppelin) 8p 37. Odyssey Number Five (Powderfinger) 8p 38. The Eminem Show (Eminem) 8p 39. Metallica (Metallica) 8p 40. I'm Not Dead (Pink) 8p 41. Greatest Hits Vol 2 (Queen) 8p *A recording is awarded platinum status each time it sells 70,000 copies. Music DVDs selling more than 100,000: Hell Freezes Over (The Eagles) 20p; What We Did Last Summer (Robbie Williams) 12p; Delta (Delta Goodrem) 12p; Farewell Tour 1 (The Eagles) 10p; Live at the Albert (Robbie Williams); 9p; No 1s (Michael Jackson) 9p; Pulse (Pink Floyd) 9p; Black and White (Roy Orbison) 8p; Family Jewels (AC/DC) 8p; Up in Smoke (Various); The Wall (Pink Floyd) 7p; Live From Wembley Arena (Pink) 7p; The Farewell Tour (Cher) 7p; Greatest Hits Live (Neil Diamond); One Night Only (Bee Gees) 7p. With DVDs, platinum means 15,000 sales. But not all record companies have supplied ARIA with sales information on all their performers, so the album list above is incomplete. It lacks obvious million sellers such as the early albums of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Seekers, Abba and Neil Diamond. Till we find out for sure, we must rely on estimates like this ... The all-time most popular musicians with Australian record buyers Based on each performer's total sales of vinyl and CD albums, using estimates from the Australian Record Industry Association and music researcher David Kent's Australian Chart Book. Performer Biggest Year Topselling Album (not necessarily from the biggest year) 1 Elton John 1973 Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 2 The Beatles 1968 Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 3 Billy Joel 1976 Piano Man 4 Paul McCartney 1973 Band on the Run 5 Michael Jackson 1982 Thriller 6 Abba 1975 The Best of Abba 7 John Farnham 1986 Whispering Jack 8 Jimmy Barnes 1985 For The Working Class Man 9 Neil Diamond 1972 Hot August Night 10 Madonna 1990 The Immaculate Collection 11 Fleetwood Mac 1977 Rumours 12 The Rolling Stones 1971 Goat's Head Soup 13 Rod Stewart 1975 Atlantic Crossing 14 Dire Straits 1978 Brothers in Arms 15 Led Zeppelin 1973 Led Zeppelin II 16 Pink Floyd 1973 Dark Side of the Moon 17 Eurythmics 1985 Be Yourself Tonight 18 The Carpenters 1973 Now and Then 19 Celine Dion 1996 Falling Into You 20 Delta Goodrem 2003 Innocent Eyes 21 Savage Garden 1997 Savage Garden 22 Kylie Minogue 2001 Fever 23 Cat Stevens 1971 Teaser and the Firecat 24 Joe Cocker 1971 Cocker Happy 25 Mariah Carey 1994 Music Box 26 U2 1988 Rattle and Hum 27 INXS 1990 The Swing 28 Creedence Clearwater Revival 1970 Cosmo's Factory 29 Cold Chisel 1984 Twentieth Century 30 Midnight Oil 1983 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 31 Deep Purple 1970 Deep Purple in Rock 32 Elvis Presley 2003 30 #1 Hits 33 The Seekers 1968 The Best of the Seekers 34 Crowded House 1986 Crowded House 35 Leo Sayer 1974 Just a Boy 36 Eagles 1976 Hotel California 37 Meat Loaf 1978 Bat Out of Hell 38 Split Enz 1980 True Colours 39 Australian Crawl 1981 Sirocco 40 Bette Midler 1980 Beaches 41 Lionel Richie 1983 Can't Slow Down 42 Eminem 2002 The Eminem Show 43 David Bowie 1973 Let's Dance 44 Police 1979 Synchronicity 45 Skyhooks 1975 Living in the 70s 46 Bob Dylan 1976 Desire 47 AC/DC 1976 Back in Black 48 The Bee Gees 1999 Saturday Night Fever 49 Queen 1976 Greatest Hits Collection 50 Van Morrison 1974 Astral Weeks]]> tag:blogs.sunherald.com.au,2008:/whoweare//9.490 2008-06-30T12:00:58Z 2008-07-03T19:54:47Z

This contains charts of the most watched programs of the 20th and 21st centuries, prepared by David Dale and based on data from OzTAM and ACNielsen. Last updated June 29, 2008. For the latest media trends, go to http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare Top...

David Dale http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare Top programs so far in 2008: Aus Open Men's Final (7) 2.35m; Rugby league State of Origin Match 3 (9) 2.14m; State of Origin Match 2 2.10m; Stage of Origin 1 (9) 2.09m; Finale of The Biggest Loser (10) 1.89m; launch of So You Think You Can Dance Australia (10) 1.85m; Winner Announced SYTCDA (10) 1.87m; finale of Underbelly (9) 1.43m and premiere of Underbelly 1.33m (both would have got 2m but were not shown in Melbourne for legal reasons). Chart 1. The top shows since 2001 Based on OzTAM's audience estimates for the mainland capitals. Series figures are for the most watched episode of the year. 1 Tennis: Aus Open final - Hewitt v Safin 2005 (7) 4.04 million 2 Rugby World Cup final 2003 (7) 4.01 million 3 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony 2006 (9) 3.56m 4 AFL Grand Final 2005 (10) 3.39m 5 Australian Idol Final Verdict 2004 (10) 3.35m 6 Australian Idol final 2003 (10) 3.30 m 7 AFL Grand Final 2006 (10) 3.15m 8 The Block auction 2003 (9) 3.11 m 9 September 11 reportage, September 12, 2001 (9, 7, ABC) 3.10 m 10 Tennis: Wimbledon day 14 2001 (9) 3.04 m 11 AFL grand final 2003 (10) 2.96 m 12 Big Brother winner announced 2004 (10) 2.86m 13 Australian Idol Live from Opera House 2004 (10) 2.86 m To read and discuss the complete charts, go to The culture]]> 34 Terri Irwin interview 2006 (9) 2.51m 35 Melbourne Cup race 2002 (7) 2.50 m 36 Rugby World Cup Aus v. Argentina 2003 (7) 2.49 m 37 Rugby World Cup opening ceremony 2003 (7) 2.49 m 38 Desperate Housewives opening 2005 (7) 2.48m 39 Nine Sunday news - Beaconsfield 2006 (9) 2.48m 40 Melbourne Cup race 2004 (7) 2.47m 41 Cricket World Cup final Aus v India 2003 (9) 2.46m 42 Tennis: Aus Open men's semi-final Hewitt v Roddick 2005 (7) 2.46 m 43 Soccer: Australia beats Uruguay 2005 (SBS) 2.46m 44 Tennis: Aus Open Men's Final 2007 (7) 2.44m 45 Rugby World Cup semi final Aus v NZ 2003 (7) 2.43 m 46 Tennis: Aus Open women's round 4 Molik v Williams 2005 (7) 2.43m 47 Nine News Sunday 2003 (9) 2.42 m 48 Logie Awards 2001 (9) 2.41 m 49 Friends opening 2002 (9) 2.41 m 50 Ten news Sunday -- Bali bombings 2002 (10) 2.40 m 51 World Idol performance show 2003 (10) 2.40 m 52 Steve Irwin memorial service 2006 (ABC, 7, 9, 10) 2.39m 53 NRL grand final 2007 (9) 2.39m 54 Cricket: 20/20 match Aus v England 2007 (9) 2.37m 55 NRL grand final 2003 (9) 2.35 m 56 Tennis: Australian Open Men's Final 2008 (7) 2.35m 57 60 Minutes 2001 (9) 2.34 m 58 Lost premiere 2005 (7) 2.34 m 59 Dancing With The Stars 2 final 2005 (7) 2.33 m 60 Election debate 2007 (9, ABC) 2.33m 61 Backyard Blitz 2001 (9) 2.32 m 62 The Biggest Loser finale 2006 (10) 2.31m 63 Big Brother final eviction 2002 (10) 2.30 m 64 Soccer World Cup: Aus v Italy 2006 (SBS) 2.30m 65 Athens Olympics Opening Ceremony 2004 (7) 2.29 m 66 The Force debut episode 2006 (7) 2.29 m 67 The Block II auction 2004 (9) 2.28 m 68 Big Brother winner 2005 (10) 2.28m 69 Friends final 2004 (9) 2.27m 70 Melbourne Cup race 2006 (7) 2.27m 71 Big Brother final eviction 2003 (10) 2.27 m 72 Logie Awards 2004 (9) 2.27 m 73 Border Security 2006 (7) 2.27 m 74 Logie Arrivals 2006 (9) 2.26m 75 Survivor II: The Australian Outback final 2001 (9) 2.25 m 76 Celebrity Big Brother premiere 2002 (10) 2.25 m 77 Desperate Housewives season 2 opening 2006 (7) 2.25m 78 Melbourne Cup race 2003 (7) 2.24 m 79 The Chaser's War on Everything 2007 (ABC) 2.24m 80 Popstars 2001 (7) 2.23 m 81 Dancing With The Stars 3 finale 2005 (7) 2.22m 82 Dancing With The Stars 6 finale 2007 (7) 2.19m 83 The Melbourne Cup race 2007 (7) 2.19m 84 Rugby league: State of Origin match 3 2008 (9) 2.14m 85 Heroes premiere 2007 (7) 2.11m 86 Da Kath and Kim Code 2005 (ABC) 2.09m. Highlights of 2007: The Chaser's War on Everything Sept 12 (ABC) 2.24m; Melbourne Cup (7) 2.19m; Heroes premiere (7) 2.11m; Ugly Betty premiere (7) 2.05 m; Today Tonight Mercedes Corby allegations (7) 2.02m; The Biggest Loser final (10) 2.02m; Sea Patrol premiere (9) 1.98m; 1 vs 100 premiere (9) 1.96m. 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 http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/. Last century It is impossible to give precise audience figures for the most watched shows of the 20th century, so what follows is an approximate ranking, compiled by David Dale for The Sydney Morning Herald, using estimates from ACNielsen. The top three would have had audiences above 6 million in the mainland capitals. All would have been seen by at least half of the Australians watching TV at the time. 1. Diana Spencer's funeral 1997 (9, 7, 10, ABC) 2 Olympic opening and closing ceremonies 2000 (7) 3 Wedding of Charles and Diana 1981 (9, 7, 10, ABC) 4 Cathy Freeman's Olympic gold run 2000 (7) 5 Olympic swimming events 2000 (7) 6 Olympic opening ceremony 1984 (10) 7 The Sound of Music 1977 (9) 8 Boxing: Rose v Rudkin 1969 (10) 9 The World Of The Seekers 1968 (9) 10 Roots mini-series 1977 (10) 11 Moon landing 1969 (9, 7, 10, ABC) 12 Royal Charity Concert 1980 (9) 13 AFL Grand Final 1996 (7) 14 Holocaust mini-series, 1978 (7) 15 The Beatles Sing For Shell 1964 (9) 16 Commonwealth Games Day 7 1998 (9) 17 Friends 1998, 1999, 2000 (9) 18 A Town Like Alice 1981 (7) 19 Homicide 1971, 1972 (7) 20 Hey Hey It's Saturday Final 1999 (9) 21 Boxing: Rose v Numata 1971 (7) 22 Seekers Down Under 1967 (7) 23 Moscow Circus 1968 (9) 24 Olympics day 7 1996 (7) 25 Olympic opening 1996 (7) 26 Against The Wind 1978 (7) 27 Moscow Circus 1971 (7) 28 Paul Hogan special 1977 (9) 29 Abba in Europe 1976 (7) 30 Ben Casey 1962 (7) 31 Blue Heelers 1998 (7) 32 Perry Mason 1959 (9) 33 The Untouchables 1960 (7) 34 77 Sunset Strip 1959, 1960 (7) 35 Sale of the Century 1981 (9) 36 Return To Eden miniseries 1983 (10) 37 The Mavis Bramston Show 1965 (7) 38 Bodyline miniseries 1984 (10) 39 Moscow Circus 1965 (9) 40 The Detectives 1962 (9,7) 41 Seachange 1999 (ABC) 42 60 Minutes 1986 (9) 43 Bonanza 1961 (7,9) 44 My Name's McGooley, What's Yours 1966 (7) 45 All The Rivers Run 1983 (7) 46 The Thorn Birds 1983 (10) 47 For The term of His Natural Life miniseries 1983 (9) 48 Number 96 1974 (10) 49 I Love Lucy 1958 (9) TOP SUNDAY NIGHT MOVIES The movies Australia loved on TV* 1 The Sound of Music (9) 1977 2 Raiders of the Lost Ark (10) 1985 3 Star Wars (10) 1982 4 Cleopatra (9) 1971 5 Airport (9) 1977 6 Ghost (9) 1992 7 The Fugitive (9) 1995 8 Pretty Woman (7) 1992 9 Every Which Way But Loose (10) 1983 10 Picnic at Hanging Rock (7) 1980 11 The Castle (9) 1999 12 Forrest Gump (9) 1997 13 Superman (10) 1983 14 My Fair Lady (7) 1978 15 The Jolson Story (7,9) 1961 * Films attracting more than 40% of viewers in Sydney and Melbourne since 1965 SOURCE: AC Nielsen]]> tag:blogs.sunherald.com.au,2008:/whoweare//9.484 2008-06-30T03:10:09Z 2008-07-23T02:30:09Z

For the latest media trends, go to http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare. List of most most purchased DVDs since 1998, prepared by David Dale, using data from GFK Australia. Last updated July 14, 2008. Top selling DVDs of all time 1. Finding Nemo (2004)...

David Dale http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare. List of most most purchased DVDs since 1998, prepared by David Dale, using data from GFK Australia. Last updated July 14, 2008. Top selling DVDs of all time 1. Finding Nemo (2004) 2 Shrek 2 (2004) 3 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) 4 The Two Towers (2003) 5 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2006) 6 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2003) 7 Return of the King (2004) 8 Fellowship of the Ring (2002) 9 Monsters Inc 10 Pirates of the Caribbean (2004) To read and discuss the complete charts, go to The culture]]> Other big sellers: Chicago (2003) The Simpsons Season 1 Back To The Future Trilogy Seinfeld Series 3 The Simpsons Season 3 Lilo and Stitch 84 Little Britain Series 1 Kath and Kim Series 3 James Bond monster box Alien Quadrilogy collection The Sopranos Season 4 Sex and The City Beauty Case The Terminator Die Another Day Carl Barron Live Pink Panther film collection Minority Report Borat Bad Boys 2 Once Were Warriors Coyote Ugly The Mummy Robbie Williams What We Did Last Summer The Sopranos Season 2 Blackadder Collectors Edition Series 1-4 The O.C. Season 1 The Simpsons Season 2 The Sopranos season 1 The Rocky Collection box set The Sopranos Season 3 The O.C. Season 2 Bee Gees: One Night Only The Godfather Collection Fawlty Towers box set Seinfeld Series 1 and 2 Band of Brothers box set 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 Who we are.]]> tag:blogs.sunherald.com.au,2008:/whoweare//9.607 2008-06-29T21:12:15Z 2008-07-20T07:10:58Z

This week of the blog is now history. For the latest media discussion, go to http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare. To discuss why Pay TV programs have so few viewers, go to The Tribal Mind What Australia watched, Saturday Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane...

David Dale http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare. To discuss why Pay TV programs have so few viewers, go to The Tribal Mind What Australia watched, Saturday Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Network 7 1,368,000 416,000 352,000 281,000 125,000 193,000 2 THE VICAR OF DIBLEY Network 7 1,237,000 277,000 403,000 237,000 136,000 184,000 3 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Network 9 1,172,000 268,000 401,000 241,000 152,000 110,000 4 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEO SHOW Network 9 1,155,000 279,000 361,000 224,000 149,000 142,000 5 THE GREAT OUTDOORS Network 7 926,000 253,000 270,000 205,000 82,000 116,000 6 ABC NEWS-SAT Network ABC1 880,000 227,000 279,000 149,000 96,000 129,000 7 THE WIZARD OF OZ -RPT Network 9 878,000 214,000 297,000 153,000 80,000 134,000 8 TEN NEWS AT FIVE SAT Network TEN 869,000 161,000 282,000 161,000 110,000 155,000 9 THE BILL Network ABC1 748,000 229,000 226,000 140,000 61,000 92,000 10 M-THE RECRUIT Network 7 725,000 162,000 214,000 157,000 76,000 116,000 11 BATMAN BEGINS -RPT Network 9 720,000 172,000 264,000 134,000 67,000 82,000 12 SATURDAY NIGHT AFL Network TEN 704,000 357,000 131,000 120,000 96,000 13 GARDENING AUSTRALIA Network ABC1 658,000 156,000 226,000 112,000 80,000 84,000 14 SATURDAY AFTERNOON AFL Network TEN 647,000 67,000 293,000 34,000 132,000 121,000 15 ABC NEWS UP-DATE Network ABC1 626,000 193,000 198,000 98,000 49,000 87,000 16 WILD AT HEART Network ABC1 625,000 181,000 171,000 148,000 58,000 69,000 17 MIDSOMER MURDERS RPT Network ABC1 614,000 168,000 200,000 102,000 60,000 83,000]]> The ratings race, updated 11.55am Friday Channel Nine won last night and clinched its hold on the week (with 27.7 per cent of the prime time audience to Seven's 26.6) but Pamela Anderson's hold on the younger audience slipped a little as Big Brother headed back down towards a million viewers. What Australia watched, Thursday Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,436,000 372,000 420,000 269,000 159,000 216,000 2 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,366,000 378,000 391,000 252,000 146,000 199,000 3 GETAWAY Nine 1,286,000 398,000 372,000 224,000 134,000 157,000 4 THE CELEBRITY SINGING BEE Nine 1,266,000 383,000 422,000 167,000 144,000 150,000 5 LAW AND ORDER: SVU Ten 1,220,000 368,000 356,000 214,000 135,000 146,000 6 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,175,000 307,000 384,000 235,000 101,000 147,000 7 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,159,000 361,000 345,000 184,000 124,000 146,000 8 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,140,000 293,000 345,000 243,000 135,000 124,000 9 MY NAME IS EARL Seven 1,128,000 336,000 316,000 244,000 98,000 134,000 10 NINE NEWS Nine 1,107,000 292,000 365,000 238,000 104,000 108,000 11 LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT Ten 1,101,000 312,000 363,000 201,000 95,000 130,000 12 HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER Seven 1,083,000 295,000 317,000 225,000 118,000 129,000 13 BONES Seven 1,075,000 293,000 324,000 213,000 106,000 139,000 14 BIG BROTHER - PAMELA ANDERSON'S TRICKS OF THE TRADE Ten 1,023,000 292,000 288,000 198,000 109,000 136,000 15 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,015,000 250,000 327,000 243,000 100,000 96,000 23 ALL NEW FUTURAMA Ten 804,000 214,000 256,000 136,000 84,000 114,000 24 THE AMAZING RACE Seven 797,000 222,000 313,000 88,000 91,000 82,000 29 Q & A ABC1 486,000 166,000 141,000 73,000 43,000 62,000 31 INSPECTOR REX RPT SBS 445,000 125,000 141,000 89,000 42,000 48,000 The ratings race, updated 10 am Thursday Give that woman a permanent job! The advent of Pamela Anderson brought an extra half million viewers to Big Brother and gave Channel Ten a bigger audience share than Channel Nine last night (24 per cent to 23.8). But a whole other bunch of viewers (we don't want to say smarter, funnier, and more socially aware, but you can) stuck with the ABC between 8pm and 10 pm, giving it a massive 20.6 per cent of the prime time audience. Give those Working Dogs a permanent program! With all the action going on elsewhere, the new season of Prison Break slipped in unnoticed, as you'll see at the bottom of the chart, below. Channel Seven won the night, thanks to RSPCA Animal Rescue, but not well enough to offset the huge lead Nine had established on Sunday. The prime time audience shares for the week stand at: Nine 27.7%, Seven 26.6%, Ten 21.0%, ABC 17.6% and SBS 7.2%. What Australia watched, Wednesday Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,554,000 428,000 424,000 288,000 174,000 240,000 2 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,439,000 416,000 417,000 247,000 161,000 199,000 3 BIG BROTHER - PAMELA ANDERSON ENTERS THE HOUSE Ten 1,417,000 417,000 410,000 290,000 145,000 154,000 4 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC1 1,349,000 365,000 428,000 257,000 155,000 145,000 5 RSPCA ANIMAL RESCUE Seven 1,349,000 361,000 409,000 246,000 128,000 205,000 6 THE GRUEN TRANSFER ABC1 1,302,000 365,000 427,000 239,000 131,000 140,000 7 NINE NEWS Nine 1,293,000 390,000 386,000 290,000 121,000 106,000 8 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,286,000 380,000 392,000 272,000 123,000 119,000 9 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,242,000 371,000 381,000 284,000 115,000 92,000 10 MEDICAL EMERGENCY Seven 1,230,000 305,000 383,000 243,000 114,000 185,000 11 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,220,000 364,000 355,000 210,000 119,000 172,000 12 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,208,000 346,000 348,000 224,000 119,000 171,000 13 THE HOLLOWMEN ABC1 1,185,000 374,000 425,000 156,000 100,000 130,000 14 CRIMINAL MINDS Seven 1,163,000 320,000 375,000 181,000 107,000 181,000 15 THE NEW INVENTORS ABC1 1,054,000 301,000 327,000 218,000 108,000 100,000 16 MISSING PERSONS UNIT Nine 1,051,000 316,000 327,000 184,000 120,000 103,000 18 BIG BROTHER Ten 957,000 292,000 261,000 183,000 108,000 114,000 21 NUMB3RS Ten 900,000 245,000 292,000 178,000 98,000 87,000 22 COLD CASE Nine 886,000 261,000 267,000 170,000 89,000 99,000 23 FIRE 000 Nine 857,000 287,000 270,000 148,000 70,000 81,000 27 PRISON BREAK Seven 727,000 211,000 249,000 90,000 87,000 91,000 36 FOOD SAFARI RPT SBS 429,000 134,000 113,000 86,000 46,000 50,000 37 THE PASSIONATE APPRENTICES SBS 419,000 119,000 130,000 69,000 47,000 54,000 What Australia watched, Tuesday Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,560,000 425,000 426,000 317,000 164,000 227,000 2 THE ONE - AUSTRALIA'S MOST GIFTED PSYCHIC Seven 1,468,000 411,000 374,000 327,000 157,000 199,000 3 TWO AND A HALF MEN Nine 1,447,000 429,000 476,000 232,000 153,000 157,000 4 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,385,000 377,000 367,000 285,000 157,000 200,000 5 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,343,000 376,000 397,000 276,000 151,000 143,000 6 WIPEOUT Nine 1,339,000 425,000 422,000 222,000 139,000 130,000 7 NCIS EP 2 RPT Ten 1,318,000 357,000 424,000 231,000 152,000 155,000 8 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,274,000 388,000 397,000 211,000 134,000 143,000 9 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,266,000 344,000 358,000 319,000 135,000 111,000 10 NINE NEWS Nine 1,229,000 334,000 378,000 274,000 131,000 113,000 11 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,220,000 337,000 311,000 257,000 134,000 180,000 12 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,205,000 321,000 384,000 249,000 117,000 133,000 13 NCIS EP 1 RPT Ten 1,071,000 251,000 325,000 214,000 123,000 157,000 16 BORDER PATROL NZ Seven 936,000 271,000 263,000 202,000 102,000 97,000 21 BIG BROTHER Ten 857,000 250,000 245,000 177,000 91,000 94,000 22 LADETTE TO LADY Nine 792,000 246,000 284,000 96,000 87,000 79,000 26 RAMSAY'S BOILING POINT Seven 616,000 192,000 172,000 125,000 73,000 54,000 29 MEDICAL MAVERICKS: THE HISTORY OF SELF-EXPERIMENTATION-EV ABC1 549,000 165,000 133,000 116,000 71,000 64,000 32 BILL GATES: HOW A GEEK CHANGED THE WORLD SBS 519,000 167,000 148,000 107,000 44,000 53,000 34 HOW TO HAVE SEX AFTER MARRIAGE Nine 477,000 160,000 122,000 77,000 63,000 55,000 What Australia watched, Monday Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 CITY HOMICIDE Seven 1,583,000 417,000 518,000 260,000 163,000 225,000 2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,548,000 423,000 406,000 328,000 145,000 245,000 3 BORDER SECURITY (R) Seven 1,485,000 436,000 432,000 280,000 130,000 208,000 4 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,426,000 417,000 371,000 276,000 139,000 224,000 5 SURF PATROL Seven 1,408,000 384,000 445,000 254,000 137,000 190,000 6 NINE NEWS Nine 1,383,000 391,000 442,000 277,000 152,000 121,000 7 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,313,000 355,000 437,000 260,000 139,000 123,000 8 CRIMINAL MINDS Seven 1,309,000 369,000 421,000 197,000 148,000 174,000 9 THE FARMER WANTS A WIFE Nine 1,270,000 363,000 394,000 229,000 137,000 147,000 10 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,242,000 362,000 412,000 248,000 132,000 89,000 13 DAVID ATTENBOROUGH'S LIFE OF MAMMALS Nine 1,197,000 327,000 335,000 250,000 138,000 148,000 18 ELDERS WITH ANDREW DENTON ABC1 876,000 261,000 273,000 154,000 75,000 113,000 19 BIG BROTHER Ten 867,000 224,000 263,000 157,000 109,000 114,000 20 GOOD NEWS WEEK Ten 862,000 244,000 283,000 131,000 102,000 101,000 21 BIG BROTHER NOMINATION Ten 853,000 240,000 252,000 153,000 99,000 109,000 22 TOP GEAR SBS 838,000 224,000 254,000 145,000 110,000 106,000 23 THE F WORD Nine 806,000 178,000 308,000 127,000 93,000 101,000 26 FOUR CORNERS ABC1 731,000 238,000 190,000 151,000 57,000 95,000 27 BOSTON LEGAL Seven 713,000 213,000 249,000 80,000 84,000 87,000 29 MARK LOVES SHARON Ten 676,000 196,000 215,000 94,000 97,000 74,000 41 30 ROCK Seven 372,000 118,000 129,000 36,000 52,000 38,000 Channel Nine and the ABC broke records last week, and Channel Seven breathed a sigh of relief. The 2.14 million viewers in the mainland capitals who watched last Wednesday's State of Origin game was the highest audience for such an event since OzTAM started measuring ratings in 2001. The 1.25 million who gathered on Sunday to see Kylie Minogue in French maid uniform was the highest audience for any Dr Who episode. And now that the big biffo is over until grand final time, Channel Seven can get on with its attempt to prove it can win the second half of the year without needing to include the two weeks of the Olympics. Seven's fightback continues tomorrow with episodes of an ancient Gordon Ramsay series and on Wednesday with the replacement of Ugly Betty with the traditional family favourite RSPCA Animal Rescue, which is "counterprogrammed" against Nine's Fire 000. The ABC benefitted by providing a refuge for the biffophobes on Wednesday, drawing 1.1 million for both Spicks and Specks and The Gruen Transfer. SBS drew 872,000 for Top Gear (see the Top 40, below). Seven is cheered by the notion that if Nine had not swamped Wednesday with the State of Origin, the week's audience shares would have been very different from: Nine 29.5 per cent, Seven 27.6, Ten 19.8, ABC 17.5 and SBS 5.6. What Australia watched, Sunday Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 60 MINUTES Nine 1,946,000 571,000 559,000 362,000 211,000 242,000 2 DOMESTIC BLITZ Nine 1,578,000 481,000 479,000 264,000 168,000 185,000 3 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,565,000 475,000 509,000 242,000 194,000 145,000 4 CSI Nine 1,555,000 388,000 467,000 306,000 188,000 207,000 5 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,527,000 341,000 452,000 345,000 166,000 222,000 6 GLADIATORS Seven 1,258,000 287,000 430,000 239,000 135,000 168,000 7 ABC NEWS-SUN ABC1 1,227,000 369,000 332,000 254,000 116,000 155,000 8 BATTLE OF THE CHOIRS Seven 1,159,000 326,000 382,000 200,000 123,000 129,000 9 DOCTOR WHO ABC1 1,112,000 381,000 282,000 229,000 88,000 133,000 10 VALENTINE'S DAY ABC1 1,037,000 330,000 353,000 140,000 99,000 115,000 13 BIG BROTHER LIVE EVICTION Ten 965,000 256,000 306,000 172,000 113,000 119,000 14 PRIVATE PRACTICE Seven 935,000 302,000 271,000 170,000 89,000 103,000 15 DEXTER Ten 932,000 241,000 337,000 129,000 91,000 133,000 17 DOCTOR WHO: CONFIDENTIAL CUTDOWN ABC1 921,000 292,000 272,000 178,000 75,000 104,000 18 ROVE Ten 871,000 241,000 296,000 131,000 90,000 112,000 21 BIG BROTHER SUN Ten 753,000 222,000 224,000 116,000 93,000 98,000 23 WIMBLEDON MEN'S FINAL Nine 656,000 182,000 208,000 95,000 68,000 102,000 24 LIPSTICK JUNGLE Seven 642,000 199,000 221,000 104,000 58,000 58,000 27 NINE'S SUNDAY FOOTBALL Nine 459,000 275,000 167,000 17,000 28 FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS Ten 444,000 118,000 162,000 53,000 52,000 58,000 29 TRINNY & SUSANNAH UNDRESS Seven 421,000 115,000 143,000 68,000 55,000 40,000 31 CAR OF THE FUTURE SBS 372,000 107,000 111,000 74,000 44,000 36,000 (OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals) What Australia watched, week ending July 5 Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 STATE OF ORIGIN RUGBY LEAGUE 3 - MATCH Network 9 2,145,000 920,000 329,000 708,000 81,000 107,000 2 60 MINUTES Network 9 1,810,000 523,000 519,000 354,000 185,000 229,000 3 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Network 9 1,661,000 454,000 489,000 275,000 205,000 239,000 4 CITY HOMICIDE Network 7 1,611,000 441,000 541,000 282,000 158,000 188,000 5 AUSTRALIA'S GOT TALENT Network 7 1,587,000 508,000 410,000 235,000 221,000 214,000 6 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Network 7 1,571,000 450,000 428,000 398,000 146,000 149,000 7 SEVEN NEWS Network 7 1,557,000 435,000 427,000 294,000 161,000 241,000 8 DOMESTIC BLITZ Network 9 1,514,000 395,000 448,000 291,000 182,000 198,000 9 BORDER SECURITY (R) Network 7 1,503,000 425,000 433,000 262,000 160,000 224,000 10 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Network 7 1,495,000 459,000 416,000 249,000 171,000 199,000 11 CSI Network 9 1,469,000 375,000 462,000 276,000 183,000 174,000 12 STATE OF ORIGIN PRE MATCH Network 9 1,403,000 583,000 269,000 459,000 92,000 13 SURF PATROL Network 7 1,383,000 410,000 410,000 230,000 140,000 193,000 14 TODAY TONIGHT Network 7 1,369,000 401,000 377,000 230,000 153,000 207,000 15 HELL'S KITCHEN Network 9 1,354,000 379,000 446,000 205,000 138,000 187,000 16 GETAWAY Network 9 1,348,000 444,000 371,000 239,000 119,000 175,000 17 NCIS Network TEN 1,313,000 344,000 358,000 243,000 168,000 200,000 18 DAVID ATTENBOROUGH'S LIFE OF MAMMALS Network 9 1,303,000 345,000 398,000 255,000 155,000 150,000 19 STATE OF ORIGIN POST MATCH Network 9 1,290,000 516,000 253,000 459,000 62,000 20 THE FARMER WANTS A WIFE Network 9 1,266,000 363,000 441,000 224,000 125,000 115,000 21 PRIVATE PRACTICE Network 7 1,263,000 412,000 405,000 215,000 108,000 124,000 22 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Network 7 1,251,000 278,000 330,000 291,000 128,000 224,000 23 DOCTOR WHO: VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED Network ABC1 1,248,000 434,000 344,000 214,000 111,000 145,000 24 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Network 9 1,224,000 338,000 384,000 240,000 133,000 129,000 25 NCIS RPT Network TEN 1,211,000 349,000 333,000 191,000 144,000 194,000 26 HOME AND AWAY Network 7 1,198,000 367,000 313,000 210,000 133,000 176,000 27 NINE NEWS Network 9 1,198,000 335,000 378,000 244,000 135,000 106,000 28 WORLD'S GOT TALENT Network 7 1,196,000 365,000 352,000 181,000 156,000 143,000 29 ABC NEWS Network ABC1 1,186,000 323,000 384,000 223,000 106,000 150,000 30 ABC NEWS-SUN Network ABC1 1,185,000 354,000 349,000 243,000 103,000 135,000 31 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Network 9 1,176,000 327,000 332,000 238,000 161,000 117,000 32 BATTLE OF THE CHOIRS Network 7 1,159,000 348,000 384,000 174,000 115,000 138,000 33 A CURRENT AFFAIR Network 9 1,156,000 323,000 370,000 245,000 118,000 99,000 34 ALL SAINTS Network 7 1,148,000 381,000 366,000 127,000 140,000 135,000 35 GLADIATORS Network 7 1,136,000 316,000 376,000 207,000 121,000 115,000 36 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEO SHOW Network 9 1,127,000 329,000 264,000 242,000 115,000 178,000 37 SPICKS AND SPECKS-EV Network ABC1 1,126,000 304,000 395,000 172,000 140,000 115,000 38 THE SIMPSONS TUES Network TEN 1,126,000 316,000 344,000 172,000 141,000 152,000 39 WITHOUT A TRACE Network 9 1,119,000 300,000 368,000 175,000 152,000 124,000 40 LAW AND ORDER: SVU Network TEN 1,106,000 324,000 354,000 186,000 134,000 109,000 (OzTAM mainland capitals) David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). To discuss Australian attitudes, go to http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.]]> tag:blogs.sunherald.com.au,2008:/whoweare//9.602 2008-06-29T07:07:17Z 2008-07-15T00:32:53Z

To learn what the world would be like if there were no Australia, go to Who We Are. What Australia watched, Saturday Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Network 7 1,251,000 278,000 330,000 291,000...

David Dale Who We Are. What Australia watched, Saturday Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Network 7 1,251,000 278,000 330,000 291,000 128,000 224,000 2 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Network 9 1,176,000 327,000 332,000 238,000 161,000 117,000 3 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEO SHOW Network 9 1,127,000 329,000 264,000 242,000 115,000 178,000 4 THE GREAT OUTDOORS Network 7 948,000 241,000 257,000 229,000 102,000 120,000 5 TEN NEWS AT FIVE SAT Network TEN 892,000 227,000 246,000 175,000 94,000 151,000 6 ABC NEWS-SAT Network ABC1 885,000 246,000 274,000 182,000 78,000 105,000 7 STUART LITTLE 2 -RPT Network 9 836,000 282,000 187,000 158,000 99,000 110,000 8 THE BILL Network ABC1 795,000 224,000 235,000 155,000 79,000 103,000 9 SATURDAY NIGHT AFL Network TEN 775,000 123,000 387,000 50,000 101,000 114,000 12 MIDSOMER MURDERS RPT Network ABC1 671,000 195,000 202,000 122,000 79,000 72,000 13 WILD AT HEART Network ABC1 668,000 217,000 141,000 171,000 64,000 75,000 14 THE WEDDING SINGER Network 9 658,000 260,000 172,000 131,000 94,000 17 SEVEN'S R.U: AUS V FRA Network 7 535,000 262,000 37,000 189,000 17,000 29,000 25 WIMBLEDON WOMEN'S FINAL Network 9 422,000 138,000 117,000 57,000 53,000 57,000]]> What Australia watched, Friday Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Network 7 1,495,000 459,000 416,000 249,000 171,000 199,000 2 SEVEN NEWS Network 7 1,453,000 418,000 365,000 255,000 174,000 241,000 3 TODAY TONIGHT Network 7 1,274,000 403,000 304,000 220,000 159,000 187,000 4 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Network 9 1,139,000 349,000 303,000 229,000 132,000 125,000 5 HOME AND AWAY Network 7 1,116,000 347,000 255,000 206,000 141,000 167,000 6 NINE NEWS Network 9 1,089,000 311,000 298,000 228,000 145,000 107,000 7 ABC NEWS Network ABC1 1,056,000 237,000 376,000 204,000 98,000 141,000 8 A CURRENT AFFAIR Network 9 1,019,000 260,000 296,000 239,000 123,000 101,000 9 SILENT WITNESS Network ABC1 988,000 266,000 300,000 188,000 111,000 124,000 11 BIG BROTHER - FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE Network TEN 875,000 220,000 256,000 155,000 124,000 120,000 14 SPOOKS Network ABC1 813,000 225,000 247,000 164,000 75,000 102,000 18 BIG BROTHER Network TEN 742,000 199,000 192,000 143,000 93,000 115,000 19 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 14: ADELAIDE VS GEELONG Network 7 741,000 24,000 430,000 12,000 153,000 122,000 21 RIDING IN CARS WITH BOYS RPT Network TEN 567,000 147,000 200,000 86,000 72,000 63,000 22 NINE'S LIVE FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Network 9 562,000 359,000 204,000 32 WIMBLEDON D11 Network 9