HD Ratings: Last Rites for The Brave?

Continuing low ratings for TVNZ 1’s new Monday night drama The Brave could see it shunted off to off-peak.

Monday’s episode averaged only 2.0% of the network’s core commercial demographic, 25-54 year-olds, compared to 4.8% for TVNZ 2’s Young Sheldon and 4.5% for Three’s 9-1-1.

The problem for The Brave is it starts at 8.30, when stronger-rating reality shows on 2 and Three are still airing.

Three’s Married at First Sight Australia continues to be its biggest drawcard. Last week it averaged an 8.0 rating and a weekly average audience share of 28.9% amongst 25-54s, winning each of the four nights it screened.

This contributed to Three being the most-watched channel among 25-54s for the second week in a row, with an average weekly audience share of 21.6% (it won Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday nights).

Monday’s Married at First Sight averaged 6.8% and a 28.5% channel share, slightly down on Sunday’s 31.9% share.

It’s also helped to make lead-out 9-1-1 a big hit, with this week’s episode winning its slot in the 25-54, 18-49 and 18-39 demos.

The second half of TVNZ 2’s Young Sheldon out-rated its first quarter-hour in every key demo except 25-54 but Will & Grace wasn’t as competitive.

However, the sitcom reboot easily out-gunned The Brave, which averaged less than half the 25-54 viewership of 9-1-1.

On April 2, The Brave will air at 10.30. Ostensibly, the later slot is because of an Easter Monday movie but chances are TVNZ 1 will use the holiday weekend and the next two weeks of wall-to-wall Commonwealth Games coverage to quietly retire The Brave to off-peak.

In the meantime, 1 News at Six continues to dominate every key demo except 18-39 while lead-out Seven Sharp topped The Project except for 18-39, where the two level-pegged.

Three won the biggest stare of 25-54s for the night but narrowly lost to TVNZ 2 in the 18-49 and 18-39 demos, and trailed it among household shoppers with kids.

TVNZ 1 finished a distant third in all the core demos.