HD Ratings: Not the One You Wanted

It wasn’t just TVNZ 2’s My Kitchen Rules that ruled on Monday — so did the rest of the network’s line-up in all the core commercial demographics.

For the first Monday in weeks, TVNZ 2 defeated Three because the latter sacrificed its top-rating schedule for a disastrous mini-series stunt.

It belatedly tried to claw back the ground it lost on Sunday with the premiere of Olivia Newton-John: Hopelessly Devoted to You by rescheduling the finale to air an hour later than originally programmed.

But it barely mitigated the damage. Sunday’s instalment averaged 3.8% of Three’s target demo, 25-54 year-olds, whereas Monday’s conclusion mustered only 1.9%.

Hastily preceding it with a repeat of Lost & Found averaged 3.0% for the 8.30 hour — less than half of what original episodes had been rating — opposite 2’s American Housewife (4.5%) and Life in Pieces (3.4%).

Lead-out Grey’s Anatomy won its slot in all the key demos, with averages of 2.1% – 3.9%.

It helped that Shortland Street and MKR set up the night so strongly for 2, with the latter out-rating Three’s Dancing With the Stars across the board.

MKR averaged 8.1% of 25-54s vs DWTS’ 6.4%, and 6.8% of 18-49s vs 5.2%.

TVNZ 1 finished third in both demos with its factual entertainment and crime dramas.

It’s no wonder Three took fright after Hopelessly Devoted’s premiere was outgunned by TVNZ 2’s Olympus Has Fallen (4.4% of 25-54s) and TVNZ 1’s Coast NZ (7.1%) and The Philpotts: Five Years On (4.2%).

Moreover, the mini’s 25-54 audience plummeted from an opening 6.0%, off the back of DWTS’ time slot-winning 8.1%, to 1.7% two hours later.

Sunday’s DWTS dominated all the core demos except for the first half-hour, which lost to 1’s Hyundai Country Calendar.