Nine took a trip down memory lane on Wednesday night, celebrating seven decades of Australian television with 70 Years Of Television, a special revisiting the shows, personalities and moments that have shaped the nation’s relationship with the small screen.
The first episode of the new series explored everything from the chaotic early days of variety television and the battle for breakfast dominance to some of the most iconic moments ever broadcast.
It also revealed that one of Australian television’s most famous moments – Bruce Gyngell’s 1956 “Good evening and welcome to television” – wasn’t quite as it appeared, with the footage found to be a re-creation because cameras weren’t rolling for the original broadcast.
70 Years Of Television averaged 569,000 viewers nationally, reaching 1.347 million, while attracting a further 78,000 viewers through BVOD.
The special featured reflections from the likes of Hamish Blake, Ray Martin, Peter Overton and Tracy Grimshaw, while looking back at television’s evolution from the arrival of the medium in the 1950s through to colour television, major sporting events and defining news moments.
However, over on Seven, The Block continued to dominate the entertainment landscape, averaging 989,000 viewers and reaching 1.68 million, including 247,000 BVOD viewers.
The 1% Club UK repeat followed with 838,000 viewers, while Tipping Point Australia averaged 797,000.
Home And Away pulled 990,000 viewers, while The Chase Australia averaged 640,000 and The Front Bar recorded 632,000.
Over on ABC, Spicks And Specks averaged 290,000 viewers, while Hard Quiz S10 repeat recorded 404,000 and Hard Quiz S11 averaged 527,000.
7.30 pulled 678,000 viewers, while the ABC’s entertainment offering also included Spicks And Specks on 290,000.
Meanwhile, 10’s The Traitors Australia grand finale averaged 668,000 viewers nationally, reaching 1.069 million, with 110,000 viewers coming through BVOD.
On Nine, A Current Affair averaged 1.027 million viewers, while The Block led the network’s entertainment offering with its 989,000 average audience.
