Seven wins 2009 but still the networks brawl

A wedding and a baby helped Packed to the Rafters go out with a bang!

Everyone's a winner as networks spin the results of the ratings.

The 2009 ratings race may be over, but it hasn't seen any of our networks demonstrating any more manners just yet.

With the end of the survey year, the three commercial networks began issuing press releases in which they were claiming all sorts of victories, spewing out enough statistics to bamboozle the best of us.

Some even accused the others of moving the goalposts.

At the heart of the disputes is a decision to rule the result by either including or excluding digital channels. ABC2 was the only one on air all year, followed by ONE, SBS TWO, GO! and 7TWO in November.

While Nine and TEN are keen to include figures for digital channels, Seven says the race is all about the primary channels.

Given that OzTAM has always merged figures together, here are the results using that methodology:

Seven / 7TWO: 28.1
Nine / GO!: 26.6
TEN / ONE: 22.4
ABC / ABC2: 17.0
SBS ONE / SBS TWO: 5.9

And here are the results excluding digital channels:

Seven: 28.8
Nine: 26.8
TEN: 22.2
ABC1: 16.4
SBS ONE: 5.8

Either way, Seven wins it. It also won on the number of weeks won with 29 over Nine's 10 wins and a single win by Channel TEN.

But the reason networks are brawling over the rules are to do with demographics.

TEN won 16-39 yet again. Seven won 18-49 -- by just 0.1 per cent share in the final ratings week.

Nine is claiming a win in 25-54 where digital channels are included. Seven, excluding them, says it won that demographic.

Advertisers and media buyers are extremely focussed on demos and especially 18-49 and 25-54.

Next year it will be a fair fight, at least until TEN launches a promised third channel. Time-shifting will also be factored into official ratings at the end of December. If you're confused now just wait until then.

The big hits of the year were MasterChef Australia, the AFL Grand Final, Melbourne Cup, NRL Grand Final, State of Origin matches, The Biggest Loser finale and Packed to the Rafters.