With the passing of Don Lane, Nine's audience again sent a message that it loves variety television, while Seven's announcement of 7TWO saw it lose another week to Nine/GO!
Without any events or boosts from digital channels, Channel Seven won the ratings week -thanks largely to its factual slate underpinning consistent programming.
Week 40 was a particularly brutal fight in television with a string of big shows led by Hey Hey's reunion. By the time the bell rang, Nine had taken victory -by just 0.1%.
Renewed and emerging hits last week included Midsomer Murders, Money for Jam and a lift by the AFL. But Seven just scraped over the boundary line to win the week.
With a few notable exceptions, it seems we are still drawn to lighter fare including Packed to the Rafters, Spicks & Specks, Midsomer Murders, 2.5 Men and a Harry Potter flick.
It's been three years since TEN won a ratings week, and only the second time since OzTAM began in 2001. Meanwhile Nine comes third in a week with State of Origin.
