HD Ratings: KA-POW! Take That, Blacklist!

TV2’s superhero spin-off Agents of SHIELD made a flying start in the ratings on Sunday, when it tore TV3’s The Blacklist to shreds.

The Marvel series averaged 9.7% – 15.5% of the major demographics and delivered dynamic duo stablemate The Tomorrow People enough of a lead-in for it to win the 9.30 hour with a commanding 7.0% – 11.3%.

TV One and TV3’s HD competition was left in the dust, with the latter’s flagship drama averaging only 3.9% – 5.9%.

The Blacklist was most popular with adults 25-54 and out-rated TV One’s Offspring (2.8% – 7.3%) in this demo as well as adults 18-39 and 18-49 but not household shoppers.

Offspring lead-out Betrayal averaged 0.7% – 3.3% against Hawaii Five-O’s 1.3% – 3.6%.

SHIELD premiered on the back of 3.9% – 7.7% for TV2’s network movie premiere of The Muppets, which proved to be effective counter-programming against TV One’s MasterChef NZ (5.8% – 10.5%) and TV3’s The Great Food Race (which averaged only about half of the latter’s viewership).

The popularity of SHIELD and Tomorrow People helped TV2’s 10.30 re-run of Step Dave’s premiere to average an impressive 3.1% – 3.6% and boosted the network’s primetime share of adults 18-49 from 20.9% the previous week to 23.4%.

Sunday’s peak-hour HD channel ratings and shares were:

• Adults 18-49: TV One, 4.9 rating/17.5 share; TV2, 6.5 rating/23.4 share; TV3, 4.1 rating/14.7 share
• Adults 18-39:  TV One, 4.1 rating/16.5 share; TV2, 5.8 rating/23.5 share; TV3, 4.8 rating/15.7 share
• Adults 25-54: TV One, 6.1 rating/19.9 share; TV2, 7.2 rating/23.3 share; TV3, 4.4 rating/13.3 share
• HHS: TV One, 8.2 rating/24.9 share; TV2, 10.0 rating/30.3 share; TV3, 4.4 rating/13.3 share.

TV2’s re-run of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone spellbound most viewers on Saturday (4.6% – 7.5%) while TV One’s Beatles special, The Night That Changed America, averaged 1.6% – 3.3% on the back of 0.4% – 3.3% for The Doctor Blake Mysteries.

The Aussie sleuth’s days in primetime must be numbered, as he drew only 1.9% of TV One’s core audience, adults 25-54, compared to CSI: NY’s 5.0%.

The procedural also decisively out-rated Blake in the other key demos (3.8% – 5.5%) but its lead-out, Hannibal, continues to struggle (1.8% – 3.9%).

A 10.30 re-run of HD doco When a City Falls averaged 1.9% – 4.0% while the return of Hyundai Country Calendar rounded up 4.2% – 6.5% ahead of Dynamo Magician Impossible’s 2.2% – 3.6%, both of which beat TV3’s TGFR re-run (1.7% – 2.7%).

On Friday, The Block: All Stars bowed out with 6.8% – 11.7% to win the 7.30 hour against The Bachelor Australia (5.1% – 8.8%) while TV2’s re-run of Hancock dominated the rest of the night (5.8% – 8.1%).