A farewell to Sales: end of an era for the ABC’s 7.30 host

Leigh Sales has ended her stint hosting 7.30 for the ABC — there is around 45 minutes of highlights from the current affairs program to celebrate her time — which spanned more than a decade, several governments and two major local elections (and Trump’s antics in the US, and Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine this year), not to mention the relentless, ongoing change in the media with the decline of print and broadcast news and the rise in streaming videos and social media in all its forms.

Unlike Seven, Nine and Ten, 7.30 and Sales covered all these — and more — and covered them well on behalf of the Australian people, which is more than you can say for the commercials or the after-dark barkers on Sky News.

The ABC’s 90th birthday party last night did well — 593,000 nationally for two hours or so from 8pm — and the “Goodbye, Leigh Sales” episode of 7.30 averaged 836,000, which was up more than 200,000 from the previous Thursday’s 627,000.

Network channel share:

1. Seven (28.4%)
2. Nine (25.7%)
3. ABC (19.6%)
4. Ten (17.9%)
5. SBS (8.3%)

Network main channels:

1. Seven (18.9%)
2. Nine (16.8%)
3. ABC (14.9%)
4. Ten (10.9%)
5. SBS ONE (4.4%)

Top 5 digital channels: 

1. 7TWO (4.6%)
2. Gem (4.1%)
3. 10 Peach (3.3%)
4. 7mate (3.1%)
5. 10 Bold (2.9%) 

Top 10 national programs:

1. Seven News — 1.391 million
2. Seven News 6.30pm — 1.296 million
3. Nine News — 1.115 million
4. Nine News 6.30pm — 1.069 million
5. 7pm ABC News — 869,000
6. A Current Affair (Nine) — 844,000
7. 7.30 (ABC) — 836,000
8. The Chase Australia 5.30pm (Seven) — 783,000
9. MasterChef Australia (Ten) — 699,000
10. Hot Seat (Nine) — 620,000

Top metro programs: none with a million or more viewers.

Regional Top 5: Seven News, 536,000; Seven News 6.30pm, 493,000; The Chase Australia 5.30pm; 314,000; Nine News, 305,000; 7pm ABC News, 295,000.

Losers: too many to single out.

Metro news and current affairs:

1. Seven News — 856,000
2. Nine News — 809,000
3. Seven News 6.30 — 803,000
4. Nine News 6.30 — 790,000
5. ACA (Nine) — 576,000
6. 7pm ABC News — 575,000
7. 7.30 (ABC) — 572,000
8. The Project 7pm (Ten) — 337,000
9. Foreign Correspondent (ABC) — 271,000
10. The Project 6.30pm (Ten) — 250,000

Morning (national) TV:

1. Sunrise (Seven) — 352,000/199,000
2. Today (Nine) — 299,000/194,000
3. ABC News Breakfast (ABC) — 269,000/174,000
4. ABC News Mornings — 239,000
5. The Morning Show (Seven) — 238,000
6. Today Extra (Nine) — 156,000
7. Studio 10 (Ten) — 44,000

Top 5 pay TV programs:

1. NRL: Manly vs Melbourne (Fox League) — 177,000
2. AFL: Brisbane vs Footscray (Fox Footy) — 169,000
3. Bowled Shane (Fox Cricket) — 69,000
4. AFL: Thursday Night Footy On Fox (Fox Footy) — 59,000
5. The Late Show With Matty Johns (Fox League) — 56,000