HD Ratings: Comedy Block on the Block

TVNZ 2’s once unassailable Wednesday night comedy block has turned into no laughing matter for the network.

Last week’s line-up underperformed in all the core commercial demographics and even struggled against Three’s Gogglebox.

From 7.30-8.30, fast-tracked episodes of Young Sheldon and The Big Bang Theory proved defenceless against Three’s Grand Designs NZ.

And the network’s inexplicable faith in Will & Grace as an 8.30 anchor continued to be tested as the reboot largely lost to TVNZ 1’s 800 Words and seesawed with Gogglebox.

Just as puzzling is teaming W&G with the long since canned Kevin Can Wait and the should be canned ‘Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation, both of which lost to Gogglebox and Hawaii Five-O.

TVNZ 2 started the night with wins across the board in Shortland Street but Young Sheldon averaged only 3.0% of the network’s target audience, 18-49 year-olds.

It and stablemate TBBT were squeezed by both Grand Designs, which averaged 3.7% for the hour, and TVNZ 1’s Britain’s Best Home Cook (3.1% for the hour).

It was the same in the 25-54 demo, only the gap was much wider, with GDNZ averaging 5.9% and BBHC, 4.3%.

800 Words continued this trend and won with 4.0% of 25-54s and 2.7% of 18-49s.

Will & Grace averaged 2.3% of 25-54s and 2.0% of 18-49s, and Kevin Can Wait, 1.7% and 1.3%.

The comedies were more competitive with Googlebox, which started strongly on the back of GDNZ but quickly shed viewers to average for the hour 2.6% of 25-54s and 1.9% of 18-49s.

H5O dominated at 9.30 in all the core demos. It averaged 2.1% of 25-54s vs 2.0% for Coronation Street and 1.1% for Generation, which was the pattern for the hour.

TVNZ 1 won the night in the 25-54 and 18-49 demos, Three topped the 18-39 vote and TVNZ 2 was ahead with household shoppers by nearly a point.