HD Ratings: Baywatch Wipes Out Rivals

Three’s free-to-air premiere of Baywatch left the competition high and dry on Sunday.

It won its slot in all the core commercial demographics, and averaged 4.4% of the network’s target viewership, 25-54 year-olds, versus 1.8% for TVNZ 2’s premiere of Snatched, 2.7% for TVNZ 1’s season finale of Victoria and 1.1% for its stablemate, Mrs Wilson.

Baywatch had the advantage of a bumper lead-in from Married at First Sight Australia, which won the 7.00-8.30 zone with 9.4% of 25-54s vs 2.8% for TVNZ 2’s repeat of View From the Top, 6.7% for TVNZ 1’s Hyundai Country Calendar and 4.0% for its lead-out, Sunday.

The pattern was the same in all the key demos, leading to Three easily winning the night across the board and winning its ninth consecutive week in the 25-54 stakes.

Last week Three (and its +1 channel) averaged a 21.9% share of 25-54s, with key wins on Monday (The Rookie), Wednesday (Talking Married), Thursday (The Amazing Spider-Man), Friday (The Graham Norton Show, 7 Days) and Saturday (Despicable Me 2).

Sky’s Super Rugby coverage on Friday and Saturday nights hurt the networks but TVNZ 2’s Friday troika of Shortland Street, The Simpsons and Harry Potter continued to win in the 18-39 and household shopper demos.

Similarly, 2’s SS, Police Ten 7, Booze Patrol and First Dates was unbeatable in all the core demos on Thursday but Heartbreak Island drew half the viewership of Spider-Man.

Three dominated Wednesday, with MAFS and Talking Married, while duking it out at 9.30 for the 25-54 vote were Coronation Street and Can’t Pay? We’ll Take It Away, which was Prime’s most popular show of the night in all the key demos.

Meanwhile, Three has made a late addition to its Tuesday night schedule, with a new episode of Killer Women With Piers Morgan airing 9.45 after the 8.40 broadcast of Talking Married.