Shortly after the 1991 creation of the Seven Network as a company, a national populist current affairs program Real Life was launched, presented by former ABC reporter Stan Grant.

Real Life continued until 1995, when it was replaced by state-based editions of the current program Today Tonight.

The Nine Network, re-launched A Current Affair in early 1988 with former Ten Eyewitness News anchor Jana Wendt.

[4][10] Seven, however, hit back in 2016, thanks to a new lead-in game show titled The Chase Australia, which helped to lift its news audience numbers on the east coast, where Nine continues to remain dominant.

Nielsen Media Research Australia is an American-based firm that measures the audiences for areas that remain un-aggregated, and of which are today known as diary markets.

In 1996, Nielsen Media Research was split off into an independent company, and in 1999 was purchased by the Dutch conglomerate VNU.