TV ratings October 18: The Brownlow and The Block do battle on Sunday night

The Block

• The Block wins its slot and helps Nine hold as #1 network

• The Brownlow and The Block do battle on Sunday night
• The Block wins its slot and helps Nine hold as #1 network
• The Brownlow a clear Melbourne favourite with Seven #1 primary

Primetime News
Nine News 989,000
Seven News 984,000
ABC News 648,000
SBS World News 171,000

Daily current affairs
Insiders 417,000
The Project 277,000/414,000

Breakfast TV
Sunrise 231,000
Today 179,000
News Breakfast 176,000

Late night news
Nine News Late 258,000

Sunday TV 

Seven: The Brownlow Medal count took over primetime in two metro markets (Melbourne and Adelaide) on Seven and on 7mate in others. Helping the virtual count was Andy, Mick and Sam from The Front Bar. Brisbane’s Lachie Neale was unbeatable two rounds before the end of the count, he got another three votes in the last points of the night taking him well clear of the field with 31 points. As part of the virtual count with social distancing in place, he had to put the medal around his own neck at the presentation. The count had an audience of 683,000 with 481,000 in Melbourne.

Viewers in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth got to see World’s Most Extreme Airports on the primary channel with 214,000 watching and then three hours of the 2018 movie Aquaman screened at different times to 311,000. 

Nine: The Block started with the end of work on the upstairs living space until Scott Cam ordered “tools down”. The judges Shaynna, Neale and Darren were very positive again about the work overall, but still found some attention to detail had been overlooked. Winning for the first time, and in a week where they complained again about the judges, were Sarah and George with 28.5, just half a point ahead of Harry and Tash. The Sunday audience was 1.009/1.082m after 994k/1.133m a week ago. After eight weeks Daniel and Jade top the leader board with Jimmy and Tam dropping to third place. This week on the show the teams will be finishing off their houses with things like, stairways, hallways and laundries. “Let’s just call it gyprock week,” said Scotty. Suncorp is providing a budget of $35,000. “The toughest week yet on The Block,” promised the host.

60 Minutes followed with reporter Nick McKenzie revealing extraordinary details about a five-nation investigation targeting wealthy Australians accused of tax evasion. Code-named Operation Atlantis, its aim is to recover hundreds of millions of dollars stashed away in faraway banks – money that has been ripped-off from ordinary Australians. The episode was on 524,000 after 656,000 a week ago.

10: The Project finished with a plug for MasterChef Australia preceded by a report on Jacinda Arden’s New Zealand election win on Saturday night. After 7pm the show had an audience of 414,000.

Junior MasterChef saw the contestants enter the MasterChef kitchen to see a giant-sized mystery box but no judges in sight. Inside are not ingredients was the judges, looking completely unrecognisable. The ingredients of the real mystery box were finally revealed and the contestants learnt that they had 75 minutes to create a sweet or savoury dish using one or more of the ingredients. The audience of 498,000 comes after the launch a week ago on 524,000.

Across the day 10 attracted its biggest audience for the coverage of the Bathurst 1000 with 671,000 from 11am until its end just before 6pm.

ABC: Restoration Australia was in Inverell with the first part of a big convent rebuild. After the series launched with 484,000, last night’s ambitious and very successful renovation was on 496,000.

Grantchester was then on 431,000 followed by Doc Martin with 261,000 watching.

SBS: The final episode of Ancient Superstructures looked at Petra with 149,000 watching.

The rest of the night was devoted to the Boeing 747 with two repeat episodes of The Jumbo Jet: 50 Years in the Sky with an average of 121,000 watching both.

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