The launch of Ten's anticipated US sci-fi drama Under the Dome performed exceptionally well for the network last night with an audience of over 1.17 million viewers. Conversely, the finale of Nine's Celebrity Apprentice attracted a mere 653,000 viewers.
Under the Dome is one of the first overseas formats Ten has fast-tracked within hours of its overseas broadcast. The broader strategy of fast-tracking for Ten however is not new, with it announcing last September it was bringing 13 international shows including Homeland to local screens a few days after their original debut.
The new sci-fi show - based on a Stephen King novel - attracted 1.17 million metro viewers last night, making it the sixth most watched free-to-air program of the night (OzTAM). The figure is quite an achievement for Ten, given its performance this year has been marred by the underwhelming ratings of flagship shows including MasterChef and The Biggest Loser. The real test of Under the Dome's performance, however, will be in coming weeks to see if it holds its audience.
The drama's performance stood in contrast to MasterChef which had 654,000 viewers, which is a credit to Under the Dome which obviously did not rely on a lead-in from the cooking show.
Other programs on the network last night to make the top 20 programs included Killing Bin Laden with just 656,000 viewers, and Ten News with 765,000 metro viewers.
Meanwhile, Nine's finale of The Celebrity Apprentice dropped to 653,000 metro viewers. Its challenge episode rated even lower with 573,000 viewers. Last night's result was considerably down on the 2012 finale's 1.03 million and even more so on 2011's 1.61 million viewers.
The network did however regain lost ground with Nine News' 1.29 million viewers and The Block's 1.19 million viewers.
It was Seven, however, that was the winner of the night. House Rules kept up its winning streak with 1.47 million viewers, despite dropping slightly on Monday night's ratings, which was the highest for the the series - 1.54 million.
Seven News ranked second with 1.40 million viewers, while Packed to the Rafters gained an audience of 1.18 million. Today Tonight had 1.16 million viewers, while Home and Away rated 1.08 million.
Unsurprisingly, Seven won the night with an audience share of 25.3%, followed by Nine with 18.6%. Channel Ten came third 15.8% while SBS had 4%.
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.
Have something to say? Send us your comments using the form below or contact the writer at amykellow@yaffa.com.au
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.