HD Ratings: Prodigal Son Not Missed

TVNZ 1’s season premiere of Prodigal Son flopped on Monday, when even Prime’s bargain-bin movie out-rated it in the 25-54 viewership both networks covet.

Ghost Rider – Spirit of Vengeance averaged 1.9% of this demographic and Prodigal Son, 1.7%. In the hour that the two went head-to-head, Ghost Rider averaged 2.0%.

Prodigal Son also lost to TVNZ 2’s The Undateables in the 25-54 demo and Three’s Talking Married  (3.2%) and Special Victims Unit (2.3%) — but didn’t fare as badly as the TVNZ 2 drama it overlapped, The Walking Dead, which could muster only 0.7% – 1.0% of the prime demos.

It was a similar story for Prodigal Son in the other core commercial demos (18-49, 18-39, household shoppers with kids), despite a strong lead-in from Fair Go, Highway Cops and Border Security.

Fair Go won its slot with 25-54s and was competitive in the others (except 18-39) opposite Three’s juggernaut Married at First Sight Australia. The latter dominated with 25-54s and 18-49s but TVNZ 2’s The Bachelorette NZ won with 18-39s and HHS/k.

In the 5+ demo, MAFS was three-tenths of a rating point more popular, with a 4.7% average.

Three’s The Project also had a strong night, beating Seven Sharp in three of the key demos and losing to it only by one-tenth of a point in the 25-54 stakes.

Both programmes even out-rated TVNZ 2’s Shortland Street in this demo and 18-49s: SS averaged only 5.6% of 25-54s and 4.7% of 18-49s.

But across the board1 News at 6pm reigned supreme over Three’s Newshub Live.

While TVNZ 1 went on to win the biggest 25-54, 18-49 and HHS/k shares for the night, Three was a close second; TVNZ 2 won the keenly contested 18-39 race.