HD Ratings: RWC Scores Big Time for Three

Three’s International Women’s Rugby World Cup final on Saturday scored massive ratings in the core commercial demographics, with the live game averaging 17.7% of 25-54 year-olds and 14.4% of 18-49s.

It delivered channel shares of more than 75% in these demos, while pre- and post-game coverage also rated highly: the pre-game averaged 9.5% of 25-54s (55 share) and the post-game 14.1% (70.4 share).

With all viewers aged 5+, the live game averaged 19.5% (73.4 share).

The popularity of the match also set up Three’s late-night movie, Fighting With my Family, to win its slot (1.4% of 25-54s, 1.2% of 18-49s).

TVNZ 2’s movies Pitch Perfect and Bridget Jones’s Diary seesawed with TVNZ 1’s light-ent line-up and dramas; Doc Martin was more popular in the 25-54 demo whereas Sherwood trailed.

Three’s peak demo shares for the night were 64.9% of 25-54s and 66.4% of 18-49s while TVNZ 1’s were 2-3 times those of TVNZ 2’s.

On Friday, TVNZ 1 dominated with its lifestyle block but Thursday was evenly contested among all three networks.

TVNZ 1’s Cooks on Fire shed viewers week-on-week to average just 2.2% of 25-54s and 1.4% of 18-49s. The first half was beaten by TVNZ 2’s Ten 7 Aotearoa (2.4%/1.8%) and the second half by Motorway Patrol (2.1%/1.9%).

Three’s Love It or List It Australia averaged 2.1%/1.5% while lead-out The Graham Norton Show won the 8.30 hour with 1.1% of 18-49s but narrowly lost the 25-54 contest to TVNZ 1’s Rich Holiday Poor Holiday (1.6%/1.0%); TVNZ 2’s Embarrassing Bodies averaged 1.0% of each demo.

TVNZ 1’s Coronation Street won the 25-54 race at 9.30 and out-rated TVNZ’s The Bridge in the 18-49 demo but lost to Three’s Comedians Giving Lectures.

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