AFL Grand Final and reality TV help Channel 7 win ratings battle

CHANNEL 7 has won the 2017 ratings battle by the narrowest of margins with some surprises in our most watched TV shows this year.

SPORTS events and reality shows, headed by the AFL Grand Final, has helped Channel 7 win the 2017 ratings by the narrowest of margins.

Rival Nine’s chance of snatching victory was undone by the disappointing performance of Family Food Fight in recent weeks.

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Jack Graham celebrates with the AFL Premiership Cup after Richmond won the 2017 AFL Grand Final. Picture: Scott Barbour/AFL Media/Getty Images

Dramas and comedies were nowhere to be seen in the year’s top shows but headed time-shifted viewing.

“Sport and reality shows dominate overnight viewing,” media analyst Steve Allen said. “People would rather watch them live-to-air than record them and watch them later.

“It is a different story with dramas where people will often record a batch and binge view them.”

Family Food Fight wasn’t the ratings smash that Nine had hoped.

With six days left until the end of official ratings Seven can’t be beaten with a 29.5 per cent All People prime time share.

Nine will come a close second on 28.2 with Ten way back on 18.0. The ABC scored 17.1 and SBS 7.2.

“This has been a really tight year and the winner has only been decided in the past few weeks,” Mr Allen said.

“Earlier it looked like Nine could carry the year but they stumbled with Family Food Fight and that has been the difference.”

Seven’s telecast of the AFL Grand Final clash between Richmond and Adelaide was the number one show with a whopping total of 2.715 million viewers across the five capital cities.

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Seven also had the second highest event of the year with 2.686 million viewers for the Australian Open tennis Men’s Final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Nine got big numbers for The Block finale and the third match of the Rugby League State of Origin decider. Both averaged 2.523 million.

Australian Ninja Warrior was 2017’s breakout hit. The series averaged a whopping 1.640 million with finale hitting 2.227 million.

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Other big reality show finales included The Bachelorette (1.694 million), My Kitchen Rules (1.594 million), Married at First Sight (1.496 million) and The Voice (1.36 million). Talent show Little Big Shots (1.222 million) was another breakout hit.

The highest rating drama of the year was Seven’s surprise hit The Good Doctor which averaged 1.263 million.

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But it was in time-shifted viewing that dramas and comedies really shone.

ABC comedy Utopia headed the list of top time-shifted shows grabbing hundreds of thousands more viewers across the next 28 days.

800 Words, Broadchurch, and Love Child were other dramas boosted by significant time shifted numbers.

Top 20 TV Events of 2017

1. AFL Grand Final (Seven) 2.715 million

2. AFL Grand Final: Presentations (Seven) 2.713 million

3. Tennis: Australian Open — Men’s Final (Seven) 2.686 million

4. The Block: Winner Announced (Nine) 2.523 million

5. State of Origin Rugby League Match 3 (Nine) 2.521 million

6. State of Origin Rugby League Match 2 (Nine) 2.402 million

7. State of Origin Rugby League Match 1 (Nine) 2.371 million

8. Rugby League Grand Final (Nine) 2.308 million

9. Australian Ninja Warrior — Final Stage (Nine) 2.308 million

10. Australian Ninja Warrior Grand Final (Nine) 2.158 million

11. The Block — Grand Final (Nine) 2.040 million

12. AFL Grand Final: On the Ground (Seven) 1.970 million

13. AFL Grand Final: Post Match (Seven) 1.968 million

14. Tennis: Australian Open — Men’s Final Presentation (Seven) 1.896 million

15. Melbourne Cup — The Race (Seven) 1.821 million

16. Australian Ninja Warrior Launch (Nine) 1.775 million

17. The Bachelorette Australia Finale — Final Decision (Ten) 1.694 million

18. My Kitchen Rules — Winner Announced (Seven) 1.594 million

19. State of Origin Match 1 — Pre Match (Nine) 1.541 million

20. Married at First Sight Finale (Nine) 1.496 million

TOP 20 TIME SHIFTED REGULAR PROGRAMS (28 DAYS)

1. Utopia (ABC) 342,000 extra to 1.059 million

2. The Good Doctor (Seven) 309,000 to 1.295 million

3.800 Words (Seven) 239,000 to 871,000

4. Broadchurch (ABC) 228,000 to 858,000

5. War on Waste (ABC) 210,000 to 972,000

6. Blue Murder: Killer Cop (Seven) 201,000 TO 811,000

7. The Good Fight (SBS) 190,000 to 356,000

8. The Doctor Blake Mysteries Telemovie (ABC) 179,000 to 1.070 million

9. House Husbands (Nine) 178,000 to 768,000

10. Hoges (Seven) 178,000 to 838,000

11. Love Child (Nine) 176,000 to 703,000

12. Offspring (Ten) 175,000 to 756,000

13. Prime Suspect 1973 (ABC) 167,000 to 661,000

14. Wanted (Seven) 166,000 to 789,000

15. Vera (ABC) 163,000 to 976,000

16. The Doctor Blake Mysteries (160,000) to 988,000

17. Luther (ABC) 157,000 to 472,000

18. Silent Witness (ABC) 154,000 to 470,000

19. House of Bond (Nine) 153,000 to 793,000

20. Doctor Doctor (Nine) 153,000 to 855,000