The Great Health Debate - the last word

Anyone who watched the 7:30 Report last night was probably a little amused by Liberal spinner Grahame Morris' assertion that no one (important) watched the Great Health Debate other than a few punters looking for Days of Our Lives

However Glenn Dyer in Crikey (via Larvatus Prodeo) reports the reality:

Nine and its worm won that comprehensively with 274,000 viewers, the wormless ABC had 183,000, the Seven “worm”, 180,000, Ten, 63,000 and Sky News, 25,000.

Including Sky, 824,000 people watched the debate in the five metro markets. ...Compared to the same time the day before, the audience was up 10% or so

When the debates are broadcast live with worms measuring reaction, they replace the press gallery and the heavies in it as the filters of how the debate went and who won in the minds of people watching the broadcasts, hours before the gallery opinions are published.

The best part of 3.3 million people would have seen the worms on Seven and Nine News across the country last night and the message they sent into living rooms. It again proves why TV matters most in political debate these days ...

Me thinks the Monk might be a little mad (at himself) - and perhaps looking for a new spinner