HD Ratings: Music to Three’s Ears

Jono and Ben’s final broadcast didn’t win its slot on Thursday but Three’s live telecast of the Vodafone NZ Music Awards was top of the pops.

The ceremony won its two-hour slot in all of the core commercial demographics, proving vulnerable to only TVNZ 2’s Seven Year Switch (UK) in its opening half-hour because of spillover from top-rating Renters.

The awards averaged 3.8% of Three’s target 25-54 audience, 3.5% of 18-49s. 2.6% of 18-39s and 5.0% of household shoppers with kids. (MediaWorks reports the show also performed strongly online, delivering year-on-year growth with on-demand viewing up 10% on the night and a 13% increase in live streaming.)

The overnight ratings were consistent with lead-in Jono and Ben’s, which bowed out well ahead of TVNZ 1’s Homemade but well behind TVNZ 2’s Police Ten 7 and Renters.

2’s Seven Year Switch was also far more popular than 1’s Homemade, drawing 3.2% of 25-54s vs 2.0%.

Earlier, Three’s The Project trounced 1’s Seven Sharp among HHS/k, edged ahead of it with 18-39s, and lost to it by only one-tenth of a rating point in the 18-49 and 25-54 demos.

That reflected the 6pm news hours, with 1 News winning the 25-54 demo by only one rating point and losing to Newshub Live in the other core demos.

Despite Three’s music awards win, the popularity of 2’s Shortland Street-led line-up won the night in all the key demos.

On Wednesday, Three’s Grand Designs NZ regained the 25-54 ground it lost the previous week, beating 2’s Young Sheldon and The Big Bang Theory, and level-pegging with the sitcoms in the 18-49 demo.

It lost the 7.30 hour in the other key demos but out-rated 1’s Britain’s Best Home Cook across the board while lead-out Buying Blind scooped the 8.30-10.00 slot with averages of 2.8% – 4.4%.

TVNZ 2’s 8.30-9.30 comedies Will & Grace and Kevin Can Wait topped 1’s 800 Words in all the core demos.

But a later start time for Three’s Hawaii Five-O saw it lose to the second half of 1’s Coronation Street in the 25-54 demo.

It was another competitive night for Seven Sharp and The Project, although the former topped all the major demos and 1 News led Newshub Live across the board.

Three won Wednesday in the 25-54 and 18-49 demos, and 2 in the 18-39 and HHS/k demos.