The X Factor, featuring Adam Lambert, Iggy Azalea and Guy Sebastian, is one of Seven’s ratings hopes for the final ratings period of 2016. Picture: Seven

Having saved some of their best shows till last, Seven, Nine and Ten will continue to fight to the death not just until the last day of ratings on November 26, but beyond into the Christmas period.

With their multi-night reality franchises all still in play and more first-run programming yet to come, all three have plenty riding on making sure they end the year with a bang.

While Seven are winning the year in overall numbers — and said they are confident they’ll comfortably continue to do so — Nine is claiming dominance in the advertiser friendly 25-54 market while Ten state they’ve significantly grown its year-on-year audience.

Seven is hoping to see a lift in The X Factor audience, which stars Adam Lambert, Iggy Azalea and Guy Sebastian. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied

“This last stretch is very important,” said Ten’s chief programming officer, Beverley McGarvey who pointed to having launched Survivor Australia, The Wrong Girl and international programming such as Madame Secretary in the back end of the year.

“Every week of (ratings) survey is critical in that every week is a 40th of your overall ratings performance.

“But it’s important for us to be competitive all year long. We don’t just go, you know what, it’s December, let’s switch off.”

It’s a sentiment that Nine’s director of sales, Richard Hunwick, agreed with.

Nine are enjoying renewed success with The Block having taken it off air for close to a year. And the refreshed reno show has seen them enjoy great lead ins to other content.

Keeping The Block off air paid off for Nine. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied

“Obviously The Block underpins the offering, the multi-night reality franchises are great audience drivers,” he said.

“But one of the things we’re most proud of is our dramas Doctor Doctor and Hyde and Seek.

Both dramas cost the network big bucks. And given the end of the year is traditionally seen as a risky time to trial new programming, it was a big gamble for them.

“It’s tough to launch a drama at any time,” Hunwick said.

“But to launch not one, but two, in the last ratings quarter as nights get lighter and viewers have more than just TV to bounce around with? And that have really resonated with audiences? That’s spectacular.”

Nine are also following Ten’s lead in keeping their big draw US series The Big Bang Theory in line with the US.

The Secret Daughter hit the right spot for Seven. Picture: Tony MottSource:Supplied

Seven are comfortably winning the year in overall numbers but they too will be keeping the pressure on.

In the final stretch they’ve launched the highest rating new Aussie drama of 2016 in Jessica Mauboy’s Secret Daughter. And while their retooled The X Factor may not be beating The Block, it is slowly building its audience.

“We said we would be a more dominant number one in 2016 and we are,” said Seven’s network director of programming, Angus Ross.

“We are number one in all people and every key demographic. We have the number one show on television — My Kitchen Rules — we are number one in news and we have launched more new hit shows in 2016 than any other network. Seven is the only network to grow all people and every key demographic in 2016.”

And they’re not done yet.

“During the closing weeks of X Factor we will also be returning a new series of First Dates and new series Gold Coast Medical,” Ross added.