The Nine network’s 9 News is off to a strong start in the 2025 ratings race, notching early wins across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
In Brisbane, viewership is up 19.3% year-on-year ahead of Joel Dry officially joining Melissa Downes on the desk next month, while over in Perth, Nine has gained serious ground with the bulletin reportedly up 20.5% in what’s long been a Seven stronghold market.
Sydney remains a key battleground for both news services, with 9 News pulling an average 250,000 weeknight viewers — 29% ahead of 7 News on 194,000. In Melbourne, Nine leads with 284,000, a 10% edge over Seven’s 257,000.
From Nine:
9NEWS WINS 2025 RATINGS YEAR ACROSS 5 CITY METRO AND ALL EAST COAST CAPITALS
9 News has today claimed an unbeatable victory in the 2025 television ratings year, winning the crucial 5 City Metro market.
The 6.00pm bulletin has also secured ratings wins in Australia’s three largest markets of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
At the conclusion of the 21st week of the 40-week official ratings survey, 9 News has won every single week in the 5 City Metro, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. This gives 9 News an unassailable lead for the year in terms of weeks won.
The network is also celebrating significant audience growth in Adelaide and Perth, with the 6.00pm bulletin recording impressive year-on-year increases of 16.4% and 20.5% respectively.
This dominant performance highlights the trust viewers place in 9 News to deliver comprehensive, reliable, and up-to-the-minute news coverage every night.
Fiona Dear, Nine’s Executive Director of News and Current Affairs, said:
“Winning the 5 City Metro and Australia’s three largest cities is a fantastic achievement and a testament to the trust viewers place in us every night.”
“I am incredibly proud of our news teams in every market. Their relentless dedication is the foundation of this success in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.”
“We are also seeing incredible momentum in Adelaide and Perth, with significant audience growth that speaks to the quality of their local news coverage. It’s a huge credit to those teams and their connection with their communities.”
“This result belongs to everyone who contributes to making 9News a leading source for news and information. We are deeply grateful for the loyalty of our audience and will continue to work tirelessly to earn their trust.”
Total TV Average Audience
2025 Survey Year
| 5 CITY METRO | SYDNEY | MELBOURNE | BRISBANE | |
| 9News | 894,000 up 11.8% year-on-year | 250,000 up 8.9% year-on-year | 284,000 up 6.1% year-on-year | 206,000 up 19.3% year-on-year |
| 7News | 845,000 up 5.0% year-on-year | 194,000 up 2.8% year-on year | 257,000 up 13.3% year-on year | 166,000 up 0.5% year-on-year |
Source: TVMAP VOZ Program Analyser, VOZ Data 5.9 © OzTAM Pty Limited [2023], Metro 5 Cities, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Total People, Nine Content, Seven Content, SYTD, as at 18/07/2025 v STLY, (weeks won through to end of week completed week), Sun-Sat, 6PM News bulletin, Average Audience, Total TV Overnight, Excludes Spill.
So they should have you watched 7 news lately