HD Ratings: Race Loses Pace in Face-Off

TV2’s double billing of The Amazing Race proved to be a disastrous strategy on Monday, compromising not only the network’s 8.30 hour but also lead-out The Walking Dead.

The first hour of Race averaged 6.1% – 6.6% of the key demographics off the back of Shortland Street’s 12.7% – 17.4%.

But viewership halved with the start of TV One’s Fair Go Ad Awards (5.7% – 9.0%) and continued to decline from 8.30, when it averaged only 2.4% – 4.0%.

The biggest beneficiary of TV2 replacing top-rating Wentworth with an extra hour of Race was TV3, which largely won the post-8.30 race with a re-run of Knight and Day (6.3% – 7.5%).

But TV One’s Criminal Minds, which averaged 4.5% – 8.1% of the key demos, was competitive in the 25-54 and household shopper stakes, where it won or seesawed with the movie.

The biggest loser was The Walking Dead, which tumbled to only 4.7% – 6.7% of the key demos, enough to beat Castle (2.1% – 4.5%) but not Knight and Day.

The previous week, off the back of Wentworth, the zombie drama averaged 5.4% – 9.9% and in the US it’s just “thrashed” Sunday night football for three weeks in a row.

Meanwhile, TV3’s The Block: Unlocked won its slot on Tuesday, averaging 6.8% – 10.2% against Dynamo Magician Impossible (5.4% – 8.7%) and The Voice (3.1% – 3.8%).

TV3’s SD re-run of The Bourne Ultimatum also proved competitive. It rated 4.2% – 8.1% to largely beat TV2’s reality shows and TV One’s The Mentalist (4.1% – 6.3%) and Unforgettable (2.4% – 5.3%).