HD Ratings: Gower Show Glows

Three’s last-minute double-billing of Newshub Investigates: Delta and Patrick Gower: On Hate delivered the ratings network executives love.

The Tuesday duo helped Three to achieve a rare win for the night in both of the core commercial demographics, with 30+ shares of 25-54 and 18-49 year-olds.

Delta averaged 8.1% of 25-54s and 6.0% of 18-49s at 7.30, and On Hate 7.0% / 5.0% at 8.30.

On Hate continued the phenomenal popularity of the Gower documentary strand and was praised as “a powerful watch” (NZ Herald) and “compulsory viewing” (The Spinoff).

Three originally planned to screen the specials a week apart but in an inspired programming move, teamed them to pre-empt Tuesday’s Block NZ broadcast so the season finale of the latter could face off against next Monday’s Celebrity Treasure Island premiere on TVNZ 2.

As well as hoping to stymie the return of the celebrity castaways hit, the initiative ensured blockbuster ratings on a night when the competition was especially strong.

TVNZ 1’s Eat Well for Less? was still able to average 4.1% of 25-54s and 3.3% of 18-49s at 7.30 while TVNZ 2’s launch of Travel Guides Aussie Week averaged 4.3% / 3.3%.

Even so, Eat Well was down sharply on lead-in Seven Sharp, which averaged 9.0% / 6.3% on the back of 1 News at Six’s 12.5% / 8.5%.

Lead-out Paramedics could muster only 2.9% / 2.3% opposite Gower and TVNZ 2’s season premiere of Wentworth 3.4% / 2.9%.

TVNZ 1’s Coronation Street dominated at 9.30 against TVNZ 2’s Grey’s Anatomy and Three’s Newshub Late and NCIS: Los Angeles, which it overlapped.

Duke’s Paralympics coverage proved competitive for the 9.30 hour, when it was neck-and-neck with Coro in the 18-49 demo and seesawed with the soap in the 25-54 demo.