Australian television ratings
Encyclopedia
Television ratings
in Australia are collected by three main organisations: OzTAM
in metropolitan areas, Regional TAM in regional areas serviced by three commercial television networks, and in areas with two commercial networks, Nielsen Media Research Australia
. Ratings are collected for 40 weeks during the year, excluding a two-week break during Easter
and ten weeks over summer. The majority of locally produced comedy and drama on commercial networks is shown during the ratings period.
From 1991 when 2000, 'Nielsen Media Research Australia' was the company that did television ratings in Australia, and from 2001 onwards, OzTAM
took over.
Throughout the late 1990s and the mid 2000s, the Nine Network
has been the ratings leader in Australia, typically followed by the Seven Network
. Subscription television and the two national broadcasters, ABC1
and in particular SBS One, due to its special-interest nature, typically attract fewer viewers than the three commercial networks. In 2010 GO!
has been the most viewed digital channel, typically followed by 7TWO
from 2011 onwards. FOX8
has been the most viewed subscription channel. Network Ten
, due to its programming line-up, has traditionally been the market leader for younger viewers. The 2007 ratings period was unique in that, for the first time since 2000, the Seven Network
overtook its rival Nine Network
in terms of average viewers. ABC1
has also, since the early 2000s, seen ratings (as well as audience reach) as a major performance indicator - this has, however, led to a decline in viewers rather than the expected increase. The Nine Network has, in the past, aggressively marketed its long-time ratings dominance through its promotional campaign Still the One.
Sporting Events and reality television grand finals are usually top rating events in Australia.
(metropolitan areas), Regional TAM (regional areas serviced by three commercial television networks, and in areas with two commercial networks) and Nielsen Media Research Australia
, that measure television ratings in Australia.
They are:
Audience measurement
Audience measurement measures how many people are in an audience, usually in relation to radio listenership and television viewership, but also in relation to newspaper and magazine readership and, increasingly, web traffic on websites...
in Australia are collected by three main organisations: OzTAM
OzTAM
OzTAM is an Australian audience measurement research firm that collects and markets television ratings data. It is jointly owned by the Seven Network, the Nine Network and Network Ten, and is the official source of television ratings data for all metropolitan television in Sydney, Melbourne,...
in metropolitan areas, Regional TAM in regional areas serviced by three commercial television networks, and in areas with two commercial networks, Nielsen Media Research Australia
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
. Ratings are collected for 40 weeks during the year, excluding a two-week break during Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
and ten weeks over summer. The majority of locally produced comedy and drama on commercial networks is shown during the ratings period.
History
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC1 ABC1 ABC1 was a United Kingdom based television channel from Disney using the branding of the Disney owned American network, ABC.The channel initially launched exclusively on the British digital terrestrial television platform Freeview on 27 September 2004. On 10 December 2004 it was launched on... |
15.6% | 16.9% | 15.7% | 15.4% | 16.3% |
| Seven Seven Network The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach... |
25.6% | 24.9% | 27.1% | 27.8% | 29.0% |
| Nine Nine Network The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia... |
31.2% | 29.9% | 29.2% | 29.1% | 27.4% |
| Ten Network Ten Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country... |
23.2% | 23.8% | 21.9% | 22.3% | 21.6% |
| SBS | 4.5% | 4.6% | 6.1% | 5.4% | 5.6% |
From 1991 when 2000, 'Nielsen Media Research Australia' was the company that did television ratings in Australia, and from 2001 onwards, OzTAM
OzTAM
OzTAM is an Australian audience measurement research firm that collects and markets television ratings data. It is jointly owned by the Seven Network, the Nine Network and Network Ten, and is the official source of television ratings data for all metropolitan television in Sydney, Melbourne,...
took over.
Throughout the late 1990s and the mid 2000s, the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
has been the ratings leader in Australia, typically followed by the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
. Subscription television and the two national broadcasters, ABC1
ABC1
ABC1 was a United Kingdom based television channel from Disney using the branding of the Disney owned American network, ABC.The channel initially launched exclusively on the British digital terrestrial television platform Freeview on 27 September 2004. On 10 December 2004 it was launched on...
and in particular SBS One, due to its special-interest nature, typically attract fewer viewers than the three commercial networks. In 2010 GO!
Go! (Australian TV channel)
GO! is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel launched by the Nine Network on Sunday 9 August 2009.-Origins:...
has been the most viewed digital channel, typically followed by 7TWO
7Two
7TWO is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel which was launched by the Seven Network on Sunday 1 November 2009 at 12pm....
from 2011 onwards. FOX8
FOX8
Fox8 is an Australian cable and satellite channel available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television's subscription platforms...
has been the most viewed subscription channel. Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
, due to its programming line-up, has traditionally been the market leader for younger viewers. The 2007 ratings period was unique in that, for the first time since 2000, the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
overtook its rival Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
in terms of average viewers. ABC1
ABC1
ABC1 was a United Kingdom based television channel from Disney using the branding of the Disney owned American network, ABC.The channel initially launched exclusively on the British digital terrestrial television platform Freeview on 27 September 2004. On 10 December 2004 it was launched on...
has also, since the early 2000s, seen ratings (as well as audience reach) as a major performance indicator - this has, however, led to a decline in viewers rather than the expected increase. The Nine Network has, in the past, aggressively marketed its long-time ratings dominance through its promotional campaign Still the One.
Sporting Events and reality television grand finals are usually top rating events in Australia.
Organisations
There are three main organisations, OzTAMOzTAM
OzTAM is an Australian audience measurement research firm that collects and markets television ratings data. It is jointly owned by the Seven Network, the Nine Network and Network Ten, and is the official source of television ratings data for all metropolitan television in Sydney, Melbourne,...
(metropolitan areas), Regional TAM (regional areas serviced by three commercial television networks, and in areas with two commercial networks) and Nielsen Media Research Australia
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
, that measure television ratings in Australia.
They are:
- OzTAMOzTAMOzTAM is an Australian audience measurement research firm that collects and markets television ratings data. It is jointly owned by the Seven Network, the Nine Network and Network Ten, and is the official source of television ratings data for all metropolitan television in Sydney, Melbourne,...
is an Australian television ratingsAudience measurementAudience measurement measures how many people are in an audience, usually in relation to radio listenership and television viewership, but also in relation to newspaper and magazine readership and, increasingly, web traffic on websites...
research firm that collects and markets television ratings data. It is jointly owned by the Seven NetworkSeven NetworkThe Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
, the Nine NetworkNine NetworkThe Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
and Network TenNetwork TenNetwork Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
, and is the official source of television ratings data for all metropolitan television in SydneySydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, AdelaideAdelaideAdelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, BrisbaneBrisbaneBrisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
and PerthPerth, Western AustraliaPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
as well as subscription services (such as FoxtelFoxtelFoxtel is an Australian pay television company, operating cable, direct broadcast satellite television and IPTV services. It was formed in 1995 through a joint venture established between Telstra and News Corporation....
) on a national basis. - Regional TAM is a research firm that provides television ratings for regionalRegional television in AustraliaRegional television is a term given to local television services in areas outside of the five main Australian cities .-1960s:...
television markets with three commercial television operators. - Nielsen Media Research AustraliaNielsen Media ResearchNielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
is an American based firm that measuresMeasurementMeasurement is the process or the result of determining the ratio of a physical quantity, such as a length, time, temperature etc., to a unit of measurement, such as the metre, second or degree Celsius...
mediaMass mediaMass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
audienceAudienceAn audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature , theatre, music or academics in any medium...
s for areas that remain un-aggregated, and of which are today known as diary markets. Nielsen Media Research began as a division of ACNielsenACNielsenACNielsen is a global marketing research firm, with worldwide headquarters in New York City. Regional headquarters for North America are located in Schaumburg, Illinois. As of May 2010, it is part of The Nielsen Company.-History:...
, a marketingMarketingMarketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
researchResearchResearch can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
firm. In 1996, Nielsen Media Research was split off into an independent company, and in 1999 was purchased by the DutchNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
conglomerateConglomerate (company)A conglomerate is a combination of two or more corporations engaged in entirely different businesses that fall under one corporate structure , usually involving a parent company and several subsidiaries. Often, a conglomerate is a multi-industry company...
VNUVNUNielsen is a global marketing and advertising research company headquartered in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Nielsen is active in over 100 countries, and employs some 32,000 people worldwide...
. In 2001, VNU also purchased ACNielsen, thereby bringing both companies under the same corporate umbrella.
Most Watched Program
This is the list of the 12 most watched broadcasts since 2001 (when OzTam began) in Australia, with ratings of over 3 million viewers (metro viewers only *).| Rank | Show | Number of Viewers | Date | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australian Open: Men's Final (Lleyton Hewitt Lleyton Hewitt Lleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20... v Marat Safin Marat Safin Marat Mikhailovich Safin is a retired Russian tennis player of Tatar descent. Safin won two grand slams and reached the world number 1 ranking during his career. He was also famous for his emotional outbursts and sometimes fiery temper on court. Safin also holds the record for most broken... ) |
4,045,000 | 2005 | Channel Seven |
| 2 | 2003 Rugby World Cup Rugby World Cup The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987.... : Final (Australia v England) |
4,016,000 | 2003 | Channel Seven |
| 3 | Masterchef Australia Masterchef Australia MasterChef Australia is a Logie award winning Australian competitive cooking game show based on the original British MasterChef. It is produced by FremantleMedia Australia and screens on Network Ten. Restaurateur and chef Gary Mehigan, chef George Calombaris and food critic Matt Preston serve as... - Winner Announced |
3,964,000 | 25 July 2010 | Channel Ten |
| 4 | Masterchef Australia Masterchef Australia MasterChef Australia is a Logie award winning Australian competitive cooking game show based on the original British MasterChef. It is produced by FremantleMedia Australia and screens on Network Ten. Restaurateur and chef Gary Mehigan, chef George Calombaris and food critic Matt Preston serve as... - Winner Announced |
3,560,000 | 19 July 2009 | Channel Ten |
| 5 | 2006 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years.... : Opening Ceremony |
3,560,000 | 2006 | Channel Nine |
| 6 | Masterchef Australia Masterchef Australia MasterChef Australia is a Logie award winning Australian competitive cooking game show based on the original British MasterChef. It is produced by FremantleMedia Australia and screens on Network Ten. Restaurateur and chef Gary Mehigan, chef George Calombaris and food critic Matt Preston serve as... : Finale Night |
3,542,000 | 25 July 2010 | Channel Ten |
| 7 | 2005 AFL Grand Final AFL Grand Final The AFL Grand Final is an annual Australian rules football match, traditionally held on the final Saturday in September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia to determine the Australian Football League premiership champions for that year... (Sydney Swans Sydney Swans The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney... v West Coast Eagles West Coast Eagles The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval... ) |
3,386,000 | 2005 | Channel Ten |
| 8 | Australian Idol Australian Idol Australian Idol is a Logie Award-winning Australian singing competition, which began its first season on July 2003 and ended its run in November 2009. As part of the Idol franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive... : The final verdict |
3,344,000 | 2004 | Channel Ten |
| 9 | Masterchef Australia Masterchef Australia MasterChef Australia is a Logie award winning Australian competitive cooking game show based on the original British MasterChef. It is produced by FremantleMedia Australia and screens on Network Ten. Restaurateur and chef Gary Mehigan, chef George Calombaris and food critic Matt Preston serve as... : Finale night |
3,313,000 | 19 July 2009 | Channel Ten |
| 10 | Australian Idol Australian Idol Australian Idol is a Logie Award-winning Australian singing competition, which began its first season on July 2003 and ended its run in November 2009. As part of the Idol franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive... : The final verdict |
3,330,000 | 2006 | Channel Ten |
| 11 | 2006 AFL Grand Final AFL Grand Final The AFL Grand Final is an annual Australian rules football match, traditionally held on the final Saturday in September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia to determine the Australian Football League premiership champions for that year... (West Coast Eagles West Coast Eagles The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval... v Sydney Swans Sydney Swans The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney... ) |
3,145,000 | 2006 | Channel Ten |
| 12 | The Block The Block -Places:231 North Vandeventer Saint Louis MO, 63108.Australia* The Block , the first Aboriginal land handbackUnited States* The Block at Orange, an open-air shopping and entertainment mall located in Southern California... : Final |
3,115,000 | 2003 | Channel Nine |
- Metro Viewers Only = OzTam Ratings collects information from a 'five city data system' known as Metro Viewers. These cities are Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. 'Regional Areas' are not included in the above ratings.
See also
- Television in Australia
- Television RatingsAudience measurementAudience measurement measures how many people are in an audience, usually in relation to radio listenership and television viewership, but also in relation to newspaper and magazine readership and, increasingly, web traffic on websites...
- OzTAMOzTAMOzTAM is an Australian audience measurement research firm that collects and markets television ratings data. It is jointly owned by the Seven Network, the Nine Network and Network Ten, and is the official source of television ratings data for all metropolitan television in Sydney, Melbourne,...
- Nielsen Media ResearchNielsen Media ResearchNielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...