HD Heads-Up: February 9 – 15

➢➢ TVNZ is expanding its cross-channel promotion strategy, where TVNZ 1 advertises coming attractions on TVNZ 2 and vice versa, to dual broadcasts of the same shows. It will launch the gambit with Manifest, which TVNZ 1 will premiere on February 11 with a double episode followed by a same-week repeat on TVNZ 2 (9.45 Wednesday). Manifest will continue to air in single eps 8.30 Mondays on TVNZ 1 (and on-demand, where it’s been streaming express from the US) but not on TVNZ 2. It’s not unusual for a major network to repeat a season premiere the same week to boost sampling, as Three will do with The Rookie late-night on February 10, but this is the first time sister networks have done so …

➢➢ A similar approach is being taken with the latest attempt to turn Michael McIntyre’s variety hour into a hit here, after previous efforts flopped on TVNZ 1 and Three. Michael McIntyre’s Big Show will be the new 8.30 anchor for TVNZ 2’s Wednesday comedy block from February 13. The series will re-run on TVNZ 2 (3pm Saturdays) and the season premiere late-night on TVNZ 1 the following week (11.10 Tuesday). Fans still can catch re-runs of earlier shows on Three (9.30am Sundays) …

➢➢ Returning in the week starting February 8 will be Fair Go (TVNZ 1, 7.30 Mondays), The Walking Dead (TVNZ 2, 10.00 Mondays), 20/20 (TVNZ 1, 9.30 Tuesdays), NZ Hunter Adventures (Duke, 8.30 Wednesday) and Live PD (Duke, 9.30 Wednesday) …

➢➢ Dame Judi Dench, Sir Kenneth Branagh, Anthony Joshua, Greg Davies and Noomi Rapace will appear on the February 15 broadcast of The Graham Norton Show (Three, 8.00) …

➢➢ The February 10 network premiere of Kiwi crowdpleaser The Breaker Upperers (Three, 8.30) will face off against Star Wars: The Force Awakens (TVNZ 2, 7.00), ahead of the free-to-air premiere of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (TVNZ 2, 7.30 Monday). Other HD coming attractions that week will include:

• Get Smart (TVNZ 2, 7.00 Saturday)
• About a Boy (Three, 8.55 Saturday)
• The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (TVNZ 2, 9.05 Saturday)
• Fear Dot Com (Duke, 9.25 Saturday)
• Her Last Will (Three, 11.00 Saturday)
• Evil Woman (TVNZ 2, 11.10 Saturday)
• They Came Together (TVNZ 2, 1am Sunday)
• Cowboys & Aliens (TVNZ 2, 9.35 Sunday)
• Grace: The Possession (TVNZ 2, midnight Sunday)
• Red 2 (Prime, 9.30 Monday)
• Beauty and the Beast (TVNZ 2, 7.30 Tuesday)
• Rambo: First Blood II (Duke, 8.30 Tuesday)
• Mr. & Mrs. Smith (TVNZ 2, 8.30 Thursday)
• The Green Hornet (Duke, 8.30 Friday)
• Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (TVNZ 2, 8.45 Friday).