C*A*U*G*H*T No Great Catch
October 3, 2023 
4 Comments
TVNZ 2 is dumping new Australian war romp C*A*U*G*H*T after only one broadcast.
It went to air last night and rated so badly that even an 8.30am re-run of Sesame Street drew more 25-54 year-olds (5,364).
This morning TVNZ announced the show, which can be streamed on TVNZ+, had been taken out of the schedule and will be replaced from next Monday with a repeat of Jon & Lucy’s Odd Couples.
It follow Duke’s decision to drop The Chase Australia from its 7.30 weeknight slot and consign it to 4.00 weekdays; a double-bill of Motorway Patrol and Border Security will replace it from Monday.
C*A*U*G*H*T’s failure wasn’t helped by lead-in Fire Country averaging only 17,057 viewers in the key 25-54 demographic compared to 38,272 for TVNZ 1’s 20/20.
Three’s premiere of Married at First Sight UK, which it’s stripping nightly, fared better, with 31,180 viewers.
But TVNZ 1’s World’s Most Dangerous Roads left it in the dust with 58,137 viewers.
At 7.30, TVNZ 1’s Fair Go (92,602 viewers) and Border Patrol (77,799) easily led Three’s House Rules NZ (44,253) and TVNZ 2’s Celebrity Treasure Island (43,764).
TVNZ 1’s peak demo share was 34.07, Three’s 21.57 and TVNZ 2’s 10.14.
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October 3, 2023 at 4:57 pm
That’s dire for a brand new show, no wonder networks are hesitant to try anything new and consign these shows to on-demand. So it’s Border Security repeats at 8pm on Duke & Eden? Such riveting programming decisions.
C*A*U*G*H*T would be better suited be an TVNZ+ exclusive or Duke at least. I wish Newshub Live at 8 on Eden would come back.
Typical NZ TV networks. One episode doesn’t rate so they dump it no doubt to be replaced by another crappy repeat reality program.
I agree, Duke would be a natural fit for C*A*U*G*H*T. I too miss the 8pm news on Eden but as Philip has pointed out that ship has sailed. You would think after 6 years of Labour, they could of at least resurrected TVNZ7 and the 8pm non commercial news hour.