HD Ratings: Cold War Drama Loses the Ratings War

Three weeks into its run and already TV3’s superlative Cold War drama The Americans risks getting nuked.

It’s hard to see for how much longer a commercial network like TV3 can sustain a primetime slot for The Americans when Monday’s episode was the lowest-rating yet.

It averaged only 1.1% – 1.9% of the key demographics following the return of My Kitchen Rules and Kitchen Nightmares to TV2.

As well as being a top-rating staple, the unusual running time of MKR allows TV2 to spread it out over an evening so essentially its viewers are locked into a night’s schedule.

Monday’s premiere, for instance, ran from 7.30-9.10, when TV2 re-ran The Big Bang Theory to tide viewers over until 9.40 for Kitchen Nightmares, thus squeezing the audience for both The Americans and lead-in The Blue Rose.

The Kiwi drama posted its lowest ratings so far when it averaged only 2.8% – 4.5% — or roughly half the premiere’s 6.7% – 8.6% two weeks earlier.

TV3’s shows are being hit hardest by TV2’s scheduling whereas TV One’s are holding up.

Criminal Minds was solid on 6.3% – 10.3% while episode two of lead-out The Following was down slightly on its premiere, to 3.8% – 6.2%.

By comparison, Kitchen Nightmares averaged 7.4% – 11.3%,  MKR 11.4% – 14.8% and Big Bang, 8.8% – 11.8%.

Given the popularity of TV2’s cooking combo, and the NZ On Air investment in Rose, TV3 may simply ride out the rocky ratings since whatever it fires back with probably will be cannon fodder.

Moreover, it’s possible consolidated ratings — those that include PVR use — will boost The Americans’ viewership.

Earlier in the night, TV3’s Crime Exposed averaged 2.9% – 7.3% against 5.5% – 7.3% for TV One’s Piha Rescue and Territory Cops, 3.6% – 6.8% against Rapid Response’s 5.7% – 10.9%.