Channel 9 returns to TV Central’s daily ratings analysis – TV Central has resumed including Channel 9 in its daily television ratings coverage, beginning with today’s analysis of Thursday 8 October.
The decision gives readers a fuller view of Australian television. A daily ratings analysis without one of the three major commercial networks cannot show the whole competitive picture. Channel 9 will therefore appear alongside Channel 7, Channel 10, the ABC and SBS in TV Central’s ratings reporting each day.
This is a goodwill step while TV Central and Nine continue discussions about a pathway forward. It is not dependent on a particular outcome from those discussions. The TV guide dispute described in our earlier statement remains unresolved; this decision specifically concerns ratings coverage and should not be read as an announcement that every other area of coverage has changed.
What readers will see in the daily report
TV Central’s daily ratings reports are designed to put the numbers in context, not simply reproduce a list of winners. The analysis uses OzTAM’s Total TV measures and examines both overnight and seven-day consolidated viewing when those figures are available. That allows readers to see how audiences change once later viewing is counted.
The reports also break out Total People, People 25–54, People 16–39 and Grocery Shoppers 18+. Network shares are included when available. Where supplied, TV Central carries the full daily ratings statements from Channel 7, Channel 9 and Channel 10, so readers can compare each network’s account with the wider figures and analysis.
Including Channel 9 throughout that framework matters. Its programmes, streaming audience through 9Now and share of viewing are part of the same market as the other networks. Leaving them out makes comparisons less useful. Today’s report already includes Channel 9 in its network analysis and supporting figures, and TV Central intends to continue that approach in subsequent daily editions.
Nine coverage has continued selectively
Even while the wider dispute has been unresolved, TV Central has chosen to cover selected Nine stories with clear value for readers. That included extensive reporting from the Nine 2027 Upfront and, today, a detailed guide to the Love Island Australia 2026 cast.
Our Upfront reporting covered Nine’s overall strategy, the Channel 9 and 9Now slate, Nine Sport and Stan’s new productions. It also examined the Nine Neo advertising platform, Shop Today, QMS’s SHOP network and Nine Publishing’s live events, with a separate gallery from the launch.
Those stories reflect the value of reporting significant developments on their merits. Restoring Channel 9 to the daily ratings analysis applies the same reader-first approach to a regular part of TV Central’s coverage. Whatever the outcome of the continuing discussions, audiences can now use one report to follow the full free-to-air ratings contest.
Read more TV Central ratings analysis here, and see the official OzTAM reports and insights for the underlying industry measurement.
