Viewers rate Heston and Offspring as Ten finds its ratings mojo

IN an Offspring and MasterChef-led recovery, Channel Ten has rediscovered its ratings mojo, with Heston Blumenthal the not-so-secret ingredient.

Winning recipe: MasterChef judges, Gary Mehigan, Heston Blumenthal, Matt Preston and George Calombaris. Picture: Channel Ten

IN an Offspring and MasterChef-led recovery, Channel Ten has rediscovered its ratings mojo, with Heston Blumenthal the not-so-secret ingredient.

The MasterChef/Offspring combination were the two most-watched non-news programs in the country on Wednesday night.

MasterChef was number one show, with 1.197 million viewers in five-city metropolitan ratings.

Meanwhile, Offspring fans embraced the return of the Asher Keddie-helmed drama after a two-year absence, with 959,000 tuning in for the show’s dramatic return.

Only Channel Seven and Nine news bulletins split the shows.

**REVIEW USE ONLY** Asher Keddie and Kat Stewart Offspring

Blumenthal has proved he’s as good as whipping up ratings as he is dishes to die for with his appearance on MasterChef’s ‘Heston Week’.

On Sunday night Ten had its best Sunday audience survey share for the year — almost 16 per cent — as MasterChef cracked one million viewers the first Sunday this season. Nine and Seven had bigger total audience shares, but Ten’s was a rare milestone.

The dose was repeated on Monday: MasterChef again above one million, and Ten’s best Monday share since January.

Ten won Tuesday with a 19.2 per cent audience share, downing Nine and Seven.

Wednesday night’s one-two MasterChef/Offspring punch saw Ten post a second successive primary audience share of 19 per cent to claim victory again over Nine and Seven.

The challenge now is for Ten to capitalise on the midweek absence of big-gun programs and scattered interstate scheduling on rival free-to-air networks.

But with Offspring back, MasterChef still to air for at least another month, and Australian versions of The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and Survivor, waiting in the wings, it bodes well for the network.

There’s also a chance to consolidate as the Olympics loom, with little new product expected on free-to-air networks until Seven’s coverage of the Rio Games concludes in late August.

Meanwhile, Seven looks set to return to its usual ratings dominance on Sunday night with the grand final of its reality renovation juggernaut House Rules. Seven is on the countdown to it’s Olympics coverage in August.

Post Olympics, Seven has the new season of 800 Words — which launched last year to become Australia’s most popular new drama — and The X Factor among its big guns to roll out.

EMBARGOED: For Sunday Mail, April 10. Queensland twins Luke and Cody will appear on the new season of Channel 7's House Rules. Picture: supplied.

At Channel Nine, The Voice has hit its ratings straps, with the reality singing show’s semi finals and grand final coming up in the next fortnight.

Nine has punted it’s failed ‘poverty porn’ social experiment, The Briefcase, to a later Monday timeslot on the back of an second-episode audience plunge from 733,000 viewers on debut to 491,000 viewers on Monday. It now air at 9.40pm Mondays.

The move should help Nine protect popular drama, Love Child, which suffered a ratings drop on its second outing on Monday, when it followed The Briefcase. Monday’s 698,000 metropolitan viewers was a record low for the show.

That was down from 839,000 viewers on Love Child’s season return, although that number pushed just over one million in consolidated ratings.

Nine has done massive numbers with its State of Origin rugby league coverage, and will air Game III on July 13.

Post Olympics, expect Nine to unveil The Block, House Husbands, House of Bond and Unreal Estate among its new offerings.

The Voice Australia's judging panel (L-R) Joel Madden, Ronan Keating, Delta Goodrem, Benji Madden & Jessie J