HD Ratings: Rose Blooms But Grey’s Red-Hot

TV3’s faith in its HD commission, The Blue Rose, was rewarded on Monday when it flowered in the face of fierce competition from TVNZ’s HD incumbents.

Unusually for a local drama, TV3 launched it at 8.30, in an exceptionally tough primetime slot opposite Criminal Minds and Grey’s Anatomy.

Typically, the network likes to bed in a new local drama at 9.30, and allow it to time to find an audience.

But despite airing opposite the two-hour season finale of Grey’s, The Blue Rose rose to the challenge of not only delivering a solid audience but, moreover, retaining it for the hour — unlike HD lead-out The Americans, which quickly withered after a strong start.

Rose averaged 6.7% – 8.6% opposite 5.3% – 9.7%  for a resurgent Criminal Minds and 8.9% – 14.3% for the first hour of Grey’s.

Grey’s second hour averaged 9.4% – 15.6% against The Americans’ 4.0% – 5.1%.

While the latter’s average was impressive given the competition, TV3 will be concerned viewership roughly halved over the hour in all the key demos, making it vulnerable to TV One’s new HD American drama, The Following, when it launches next week.

TV3’s early evening HD newcomers, Crime Exposed and Territory Cops, couldn’t dent The Big Bang Theory’s appeal.

Crime averaged 5.2% – 7.1% against 10.1% – 13.6% for BB’s first ep, and Cops 4.4% -5.3% against 9.7% – 14.9% for BB’s second ep.

Seven Sharp narrowly beat Campbell Live at 7.00 but their ratings were dwarfed by Shortland Street’s 16.8% – 23.3% average.

An hour later TV One’s HD reality hit, Rapid Response, averaged nearly double the audience of Seven Sharp, with 7.8% – 11.7%.