Throng

The top 30 shows of 2010 so far sees Masterchef dominate with the record breaking finale night representing the top two spots while ratings for the shows’ finals week in terms of the Monday to Thursday average and the last Sunday challenge also appear in the top ten. The combined ratings for the Leader’s Debate between Seven, Nine and ABC1 is the only other event to pass 3 million.

State of Origin is top sporting event for the year so far, with the Men’s final for the Australian Open behind. Underbelly: The Golden Mile is also in the top ten over two million even though the series overall did not perform as well as the previous two.

Seven’s top non-sport show was the final of Australia’s Got Talent, with Packed to the Rafters close behind, both over 1.9 million. The premiere of Undercover Boss - reported as over 2 million in preliminary figures - was adjusted down to 1,782,000 once correct times were taken into account - ends up in 14th.
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Ratings Friday July 30, 2010

Noone expected Jamie Oliver to do the 1.3 million it did last week after Master chef - but 1 million on a Friday night on Ten is still quite impressive, making it one of only two shows other than news and current affairs that surpassed the million mark. The other, of course, at the expense of live AFL into Melbourne, is Seven’s mainstay Better Homes and Gardens.

7TWO’s Friday night lifestyle line up helps the channel to a 5.1% share, while GO is second in digital at 4.1%. Seven wins in overall network shares, while Nine is second. As for Ten, the huge lead from Masterchef finale night last Sunday has been completely eroded away after a week of low shares following, which will result in Ten coming third for the week.

Shares:
1 Seven 27.5% (network 32.6%)
2 Nine 23.5% (network 27.6%)
3 Ten 16.6% (network 18.0%)
4 ABC1+News 24 13.3% (network 15.4%)Read more

TMZ are reporting that Kara DioGuardi is the latest casualty of the American Idol reboot.

Rumor is that Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez will be joining Randy Jackson on the show's next season.

If this is the new judging panel, is it enough to keep the fans happy?  Will it be enough to reinvigorate the show?  Time will tell...

Seven will finally fix up the issues they have with programming after Packed to the Rafters with the premiere of Parenthood to air 9.30pm Tuesday August 10. This will be followed by Keeping up with the Kardashians at 10.30pm, which has already been seen on Pay TV.

Parenthood is the story of the Bravermans – Sarah, Adam, Crosby, and Julia – four grown siblings sharing the headaches, heartaches and unexpected joys of being a parent. But when single mum Sarah Braverman moves back to the family home in Berkeley, she inadvertently stirs up the chemistry of her colourful extended family.

The full first season of Parenthood has aired in the US, with US network NBC having renewed the show for a second season that will air from September over there. There are 13 episodes in season 1, with another 13 planned for season 2.

Our latest locally produced drama Offspring premieres on Ten on Sunday August 15, at 8.30pm in a movie length episode, and is a refreshing break from the multitude of crime or police based dramas that dominate our screens these days.

Nina Proudman has a simple quest - to deal with her fabulously messy family, her ex-husband, the intensity of a job delivering babies, and the hunt for a decent love life - whilst also handling her tendency to over-think, fantasise, and wonder about life's other little mysteries.

From the producers of The Secret Life of Us, Tangle, Love My Way, and Rush comes Network Ten’s all new Australian series - Offspring - a fresh, contemporary drama set in Melbourne’s Fitzroy.

Communications Minister Senator Conroy has met with executives of the three free to air commercial television networks to discuss up and coming changes to anti-siphoning laws which govern the ability of free to air networks to use their secondary digital channels to show sporting events before they are shown on the main channel.

The networks’ ability to use their digital channels for sports coverage instead of their main channel would allow them to be more flexible in sporting coverage allowing for normal programming on their main channel with sport continuing on other digital channels. It could also allow for AFL and NRL matches to be carried live into their opposing market while shown live on the main channel in their respective core markets.

Seven News will broadcast live from Victoria's bushfire zone tomorrow, as the Bushfire Royal Commission prepares to hand down its findings on the worst bushfires in our nation's history.

Jennifer Keyte will lead a special extended bulletin live from Marysville, with senior reporters Nick McCallum on the ground in Kinglake and Dean Felton with a detailed analysis of the explosive findings from Black Saturday. State political reporter Brendan Donohoe will be outside Parliament House with a full breakdown of the report.

Seven News will study the timeline of major events over the past 18 months and speak with local communities worst affected by February 7, 2009.

Note: This is Seven News Melbourne only.

Well I guess Sammy and Nathan Rafter don’t end up back together then - as Seven confirms the departure of Jessica McNamee from ‘Packed to the Rafters’.

24 year old Jessica has decided to leave Packed to the Rafters to pursue other opportunities.

“We are all sad to see her go but she is moving on to new projects,” said a network spokesperson.

Jessica hopes to leave her “girl-next-door” image from ‘Rafters’ behind and take on a range of different roles. She may also return to university to finish off a deferred arts degree.

She will next appear in an Australian horror movie called “The Loved Ones” which comes out September 30.

Her final appearance in Rafters will air next month on Seven.

Source: The Daily Telegraph

Ratings Thursday July 29, 2010.

Nothing really stands out for Thursday night as Getaway returns to being the top non-news program, but is 5th behind Seven’s and Nine’s news and current affairs, with over 1.1 million watching. ABC News tops 7pm while Ten’s Bondi Vet does well at 1.088 million, with Recruits falling below a million after 8pm.

The final Sea Patrol wins 8.30 for Nine, but the news is not so good for Rush down to 836,000 although Rush does do better in demos. On Seven, new How I Met Your Mother has increased on previous weeks, thanks mostly to being on earlier in some markets. The Matty Johns show pulled 444,000 in Sydney and Brisbane, while Nine’s Footy show only managed a combined 759,000 with just 259,000 being the NRL version of the show.
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In what shapes as the most important football season on Australian soil since the Hyundai A-League’s foundation year, FOX SPORTS will span the nation to deliver every minute of the action when our best clubs lock horns for the 2010/11 title.

The Hyundai A-League welcomes an 11th team for its sixth season, and FOX SPORTS viewers will get a first hand look at the newcomers, Melbourne Heart, in the season’s opening fixture next Thursday night (August 5).

Heart, who have assembled an experienced squad for their maiden campaign, will host 2007/08 regular season premiers Central Coast at their newly-built home AAMI Stadium.

In an opening weekend packed with fierce rivalries, none will be bigger than the Grand Final replay between Champions Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory in Sydney.

American Idol will lose the services of judge Ellen DeGeneres for the next season with the talk-show host deciding to exit the judging panel.

The exit is said to be a mutual decision between DeGeneres and the Fox network and part of an Idol overhaul which will see the network try to re-invent the brand.

The Ellen DeGeneres show host made her feeling clear to Idol producers months ago that she was looking to quit in order to concentrate more on her own successful show.

"I told them I wouldn't leave them in a bind and that I would hold off on doing anything until they were able to figure out where they wanted to take the panel next," DeGeneres said. "It was a difficult decision to make, but my work schedule became more than I bargained for."

Rafters actress leaving show

Packed to the Rafters actress Jessica McNamee has announced her exit from the hit local drama series during the current third season run. McNamee plans to move onto new projects and more diverse roles.

Bilson to return to How I Met Your Mother

Ex-The OC actress Rachel Bilson will return to How I Met Your Mother for the show’s upcoming sixth season. Bilson has previously made a guest appearance in the fifth season of the show.

Tonight at 6.00pm, Nine News will disclose the revealing results from the second Galaxy Poll conducted on Wednesday evening, July 28 exclusively for the Nine Network.

The findings, based on a sample of 800 voters throughout Australia, will provide a scorecard on the campaign performance of the Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Leader of the Opposition Tony Abbott, three-weeks out from the federal election on August 21.

It may be two years away, but already talk about the London 2012 Olympics is gearing up. The main stadium for the 2012 Olympics in London is near completion already, amid talk of the huge expense to put on the event straining the country’s economy in the recent Global Economic Crisis.

Here is Australia, the next Olympics will be televised on both Nine and Foxtel. Last night (July 28), Nine hosted an event launching advertising packages to an audience of 350 guests in Willoughby.

Nine will go to market with 18 sponsorship packages including four at the highest level estimated to be worth $10 million each.

Nine CEO David Gyngell rallied the Nine staff assembled for the launch, boldly declaring that under his watch, the network is more focussed on News, current affairs, quality Australian drama and great sporting events.

I'd forgotten just how gorgeous Erin McNaught is so I was delightfully inspired by seeing her front up with Josh at this weeks lesson - shooting a viral campaign for Jeans for Genes day by talking down the camera saying "I love my jeans because..."

It's hilarious.  Sophie is such a barbie doll. Josh thinks she looks too much like a newsreader while she reminds Kelsey of Paris Hilton.

The best line has to go to Kimberly.  "I love my jeans because they make my butt look grabable.

Kimberly may be the girl that's getting bullied for being a bogan but am I the only one that thinks Chantal sounds like Jonah Takalua when she speaks?  Seriously!  Freaks me out every time she opens her mouth.