HD Ratings: Neverland Leaves on a High

The conclusion to Leaving Neverland won its slot on Monday and retained most of its Sunday night viewership.

It averaged 5.6% of 25-54s (vs 6.1% the previous night), 5.2% of 18-49s (vs 5.5%), 4.9% of 18-39s (vs 5.4%) and 6.1% of household shoppers with kids (vs 5.1%).

The documentary was up about 2-3 ratings points on the previous week’s Manifest and Q+A, which it usurped, in the 25-54 demo.

It helped TVNZ 1 to win the night with the biggest shares of all the key demos except HHS/k, which Three won.

And despite Neverland’s huge appeal, the opening half-hour still lost to the tail end of Three’s Married at First Sight Australia in all the core commercial demos except 18-39.

With demo averages as high as 8.1% of 25-54s and 10.3% of HHS/k, MAFS also slaughtered the double-episode season premiere of Mom.

Mom fared better than the show it replaced, Changing Rooms Australia, averaging 3.5% of 25-54s (vs 3.1% for CRA), 3.0% of 18-49s (vs 2.8%), 2.6% of 18-39s (vs 2.6%), and 5.5% of HHS/k (vs 4.6%).

The night’s other newcomer, Driving Test Australia, was a point down in the 25-54 demo on the previous week’s The Casketeers, averaging 4.2%, but was more popular with 18-39s and HHS/k.

Against Neverland, Three’s time-slot winning The Rookie averaged two points fewer 25-54s than the previous week’s episode and proved vulnerable to TVNZ 2’s Gordon Ramsay’s 24 Hours to Hell and Back.