HD Ratings: RFDS No Flying Doctors

TVNZ 1’s Monday night premiere of RFDS: Royal Flying Doctor Service didn’t fly as high as might have been expected given the phenomenal popularity of forerunner The Flying Doctors in the 1980s and ’90s.

It averaged 3.6% of 25-54 year-olds and 2.9% of 18-49s, the two most important commercial demographics.

While modest for such a broadly appealing drama, the ratings were still strong enough for RFDS to dominate the 8.30 hour.

TVNZ 2’s season premiere of First Dates Australia averaged 2.5% and 1.6% of these demos, on the back of 6.2% / 4.5% for Celebrity Treasure Island.

The blockbuster appeal of CTI took a bite out of Barkley Manor’s second episode (3.4% / 2.9%), although the latter had a weaker lead-in than its premiere, with Seven Sharp and Fair Go both off-air for the public holiday.

7S’s absence allowed Three’s The Project to pick up bonus viewers, averaging an unusually high 5.5% / 4.0% of the key demos, beating the first half of TVNZ 1’s The Repair Shop (4.4% / 3.3%) and the opening quarter-hour of TVNZ 2’s Shortland Street (5.0% / 4.3%).

TVNZ 1’s 20/20 had a strong night, winning the 9.30 hour with 3.1% / 2.8% vs 1.0% / 0.7% for TVNZ 2’s Girls5eva while Three’s Sydney Harbour Force averaged 2.1% / 1.5% on the back of Australian Ninja Warrior’s 3.7% / 3.0%.

TVNZ 1 easily won the night with 31% shares of the core demos while Three led TVNZ 2.

Note: These overnight ratings exclude viewership of the networks’ +1 SD channels.