HD Ratings: Lego Masters Primetime

Lego Masters Australia might have upended Three’s new Wednes-day line-up with a longer-than-expected premiere but proved to be a bigger-than-expected blockbuster.

The two-hour launch won its time slot in all the core demographics with Married at First Sight Australia-like popularity.

It averaged 7.6% of 25-54 year-olds (the network’s key viewership), 6.0% of 18-49s, 4.7% of 18-39s and 9.1% of household shoppers with kids.

As a result, lead-out Magnum P.I. opened as a ratings winner, with 3.8% of 25-54s, 3.3% of 18-49s, 2.1% of 18-39s and 3.6% of HHS/k.

Magnum’s numbers would have higher had it followed Lego Masters Australia at 8.30, as originally planned, but would never have matched LMA’s extraordinary two-hour average.

It simply blitzed the competition and went on to build its viewership in the 8.30 hour whereas Magnum steadily lost viewers (the steepest fall was among HHS/k, which plummeted from an opening 5.5% to a closing 1.9%).

TVNZ 1’s Location Location Location was its strongest 25-54 opposition, averaging 4.1%, but TVNZ 2’s Young Sheldon and The Big Bang Theory were more popular in the other key demos.

TVNZ 1 crime drama The Bay opened at 8.30, with 3.8% of 25-54s, ahead of Whiskey Cavalier’s 2.8% on TVNZ 2. In the other major demos, they were mostly neck-and-neck.

It was a similar story at 9.30, when TVNZ 2’s Station 19 lost narrowly to TVNZ 1’s Coronation Street. The hospital drama averaged 1.6% of 25-54s (vs Coro’s 1.9%), 1.3% of 18-39s (vs 1.2%) and 2.4% of HHS/k (vs 2.6%); both averaged 1.5% of 18-49s.

1 News out-rated Newshub Live across the board as did Seven Sharp re The Project.

But Three easily won the night with the biggest shares of all the key demos.

On Tuesday, TVNZ 2 dominated with Shortland Street, My Kitchen Rules and Grey’s Anatomy.

Only Grey’s was challenged, when TVNZ 1’s premiere of How the Other Kids Live and lead-out 20/20 won in the 18-39 and 18-49 demos.

Three’s Lost & Found continued to deliver solid numbers against MKR, with an exceptional 25-54 average of 6.9%, versus 3.2% for TVNZ 1’s premiere of Emergency Call and The Force.

But Three’s NCIS could retain only half of its 25-54 lead-in, seesawing with How the Other Kids Live, while 9.30 stablemate NCIS: Los Angeles finished third.

1 News again dominated at 6.00 but the race was tighter between the 7.00 newsmags, although Seven Sharp still had the edge.

The night was tightly contested in the 25-54 demo, with TVNZ 2 emerging with the biggest share; it also scooped the other key demos.