Omari Gates
Australia's media landscape is creatively, technologically, and economically advanced, with a mix of public and private broadcasting. While public broadcasting has a long history in the country, privately-owned TV and radio stations attract the largest audiences. The Australian TV market is dominated by three major free-to-air networks: Seven Network, Nine Network, and Network Ten. These networks, along with subscription services like Sky News Australia, are the primary sources of news and information for Australians. With that being said, what is the most popular news channel in Australia, and how has this changed over time?
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Most popular news channel | Seven Network |
| Owner | Seven West Media |
| Reach | 17 million people nationally across broadcast and digital (7plus) |
| Commercial share nationally | 42.2% |
| Commercial share in capital cities | 40.8% |
| Commercial share in regional Australia | 45.2% |
| Top News & Politics YouTube Channel | ABC News In-depth |
| Views on YouTube | 16.8K views last month |
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What You'll Learn
- Seven Network: Australia's most-watched TV network
- ABC News In-depth: Australia's top News & Politics YouTube channel
- Australia's TV news ratings: OzTAM, Regional TAM, and Nielsen Media Research Australia
- National Nine News: ratings success in the late '80s and early '90s
- Ten Eyewitness News: Network Ten's newscast led in the '80s
Seven Network: Australia's most-watched TV network
Seven Network, also known as Channel 7 or simply Seven, is Australia's most-watched TV network. The network has held this title for the fourth year running in 2024, and 16 of the past 18 years. Seven's broadcast and digital network reaches over 17 million people nationally every month.
Seven has a 42.2% commercial share nationally, with a 40.8% share in capital cities and a 45.2% share in regional Australia. The network also leads nationally in the 25 to 54 and 16 to 39 age groups, as well as total shoppers. Seven's average total TV audience at night (6 pm to midnight) is 961,000 viewers.
Seven's success can be attributed to its diverse and popular programming, which includes news, sports, and entertainment content. The network's key entertainment shows include "My Kitchen Rules", "Farmer Wants A Wife", "Home and Away", and "The Voice". Seven also launched the number one new entertainment series of the year in 2023, "The 1% Club".
In sports broadcasting, Seven has exclusive rights to many major events, such as the Olympic Games, the Commonwealth Games, the AFL Premiership Season, and the Melbourne Cup Carnival. The network also has exclusive contracts with international news providers like NBC News, ITN, and TV3 (New Zealand).
Seven's news bulletin, 7NEWS, is the #1 news program in 2023 and the most-watched evening news program in 2024. The network's breakfast TV program, Sunrise, has also been the number one show in its category for 20 consecutive years.
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ABC News In-depth: Australia's top News & Politics YouTube channel
While the Seven Network is Australia's most-watched television network, the top News & Politics channel on YouTube in Australia is ABC News In-depth. This channel provides in-depth, long-form journalism and explainers to help viewers understand current affairs. ABC News In-depth is the top-ranked channel in Australia in terms of views, with its videos gaining 16.8k views last month and 16.8k views in July 2025. The channel has 2.1 million subscribers, and its videos received 195 likes and 0 comments. ABC News In-depth is the place to go for those wanting to watch the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's long-form programs such as Foreign Correspondent, Four Corners, and Australian Story. The channel also features a 24-hour live stream and livestreams breaking news events.
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Australia's TV news ratings: OzTAM, Regional TAM, and Nielsen Media Research Australia
Television news ratings in Australia are collected by three main organisations: OzTAM, Regional TAM, and Nielsen Media Research Australia. OzTAM operates in metropolitan areas, Regional TAM in regional areas serviced by three commercial television networks, and Nielsen Media Research Australia in areas with two commercial networks.
OzTAM is jointly owned by the Seven Network, the Nine Network, and Network Ten, and it collects and markets news rating data. It is the official source of television news ratings data for metropolitan television in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, and Perth, as well as subscription services such as Sky News Australia and Foxtel. OzTAM measures ratings from 3,500 homes, with 950 homes in Sydney, 900 in Melbourne, 650 in Brisbane, and 500 each in Adelaide and Perth. These ratings are commonly referred to as "'five-city metro' ratings". In 2017, the number of metropolitan homes measured increased to 5,250.
Regional TAM provides television news ratings for regional television markets with three commercial television operators. It measures a further 2,000 homes outside the five largest cities, and an additional 1,200 homes monitor viewing of subscription television in Australia.
Nielsen Media Research Australia is an American-based firm that measures audiences in areas that remain un-aggregated, known as diary markets. Nielsen provides audience measurement services to both OzTAM and Regional TAM, and in 2014, Australia introduced Nielsen Twitter TV ratings, measuring television-related discussions on Twitter.
In terms of the most popular news channels in Australia, the Nine Network has traditionally been the ratings leader. In the early to mid-1980s, Ten Eyewitness News was the leader in news in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Adelaide, as it was the only news service broadcast at 6:00 pm and lasted for a full hour. By 1988, National Nine News overtook Ten Eyewitness News in the ratings and enjoyed national success. In 2005, the Seven Network overtook Nine in terms of average viewers, but Nine regained its dominance in 2011 in Sydney, followed by Melbourne in 2012, Brisbane in 2013, and nationally in 2013. In 2015, Seven hit back with a new game show, The Chase Australia, which helped lift its news audience numbers on the east coast. In 2019, Nine Network once again defeated Seven to become the highest-rated television network in Australia.
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National Nine News: ratings success in the late '80s and early '90s
Australia's media landscape is creatively, technologically, and economically advanced, with a mix of public broadcasting and private TV and radio channels. The country's national commercial TV scene is dominated by three big free-to-air networks.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, National Nine News experienced significant ratings success. During this period, it rose from being an underdog to a leading news channel in Australia.
In 1987, National Nine News started overtaking Ten Eyewitness News in the ratings. By 1988, it had taken the lead and enjoyed nationwide ratings success. This success can be attributed to several strategic decisions made by the Nine Network.
Firstly, they relaunched 'A Current Affair' in early 1988 with former Ten Eyewitness News anchor Jana Wendt. This move proved to be a ratings winner, as ACA topped the 1991 Australian TV ratings under Wendt's leadership. The Nine Network also introduced the long-time slogan "Who's Who of News" in 1992, which they used until 2004.
With a strong lineup of talented presenters and effective marketing strategies, National Nine News was able to maintain its dominance until 2005. During this period, it consistently outperformed its competitors and established itself as a trusted and popular source of news for Australians.
However, the landscape of Australian news channels is dynamic, with different channels rising and falling in popularity over time. While National Nine News enjoyed success in the late 80s and early 90s, other channels, such as Seven News, have also had their turns in the spotlight, showcasing the competitive nature of the Australian news media market.
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Ten Eyewitness News: Network Ten's newscast led in the '80s
The Seven Network is Australia's most-watched TV network for the third year in a row, attracting more viewers than any of its rivals. However, in the 1980s, Ten Eyewitness News, a newscast on Network Ten, was one of the ratings winners.
Eyewitness News is a style of television presentation that emphasizes visual elements and action videos instead of the older "man-on-camera" style of newscast. The format was first used in 1959 by KYW-TV (now WKYC-TV) in Cleveland, Ohio. The name was then adopted by other Westinghouse stations for their newscasts. In 1968, Al Primo, who had created the Eyewitness News format, moved to WABC-TV in New York City and took the concept with him.
In Australia, BTQ-7 in Brisbane adopted the Eyewitness News branding in the early 1970s, and it was later employed by other stations in the Network Ten group. TEN-10 in Sydney and ATV-0/10 in Melbourne, the principal stations of Network Ten, adopted the Eyewitness News branding in the mid-1970s. In 1984, Eyewitness News was expanded to a one-hour format, which was one of the reasons it became one of the ratings winners in the 1980s. The one-hour duration set it apart from other newscasts.
The 1980s were the network's most successful period as a news provider, with its local Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane bulletins often rating highest for their 6 pm timeslots. In 1986, Eyewitness News won a Logie award for Best News Report for its coverage of the siege at Eagle Farm Airport the previous year. In 1988, Network Ten dropped the use of the Eyewitness News name, but it was later reinstated several times, with the branding changing over the years to Ten Evening News, Ten Eyewitness News, and 10 News First.
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Frequently asked questions
The Seven Network is the most-watched TV network in Australia for the third year in a row, attracting more viewers than any of its rivals.
Other popular news channels in Australia include the Nine Network, Network Ten, and ABC.
The top news channel on YouTube in Australia in terms of views is ABC News In-depth.
Television news ratings in Australia are collected by three main organizations: OzTAM, Regional TAM, and Nielsen Media Research Australia. OzTAM and Regional TAM are owned by television networks and collect data for metropolitan and regional areas, respectively. Nielsen Media Research Australia is an American-based firm that measures audiences in diary markets.
