HD Ratings: Seven Not So Sharp

TVNZ 1’s Seven Sharp continues to lose its edge in the ratings, with Monday night’s broadcast finishing behind Three’s The Project in all the core commercial demographics.

The slimmest margin was in the demo that matters most to both networks, 25-54 year-olds, where The Project averaged 4.8% vs Sharp’s 4.3%.

The widest gap was among household shoppers with kids: 7.3% vs 4.5%. A point separated the two in the 18-39 demo and eight-tenths of a point in the 18-49 demo.

The rare scoop for Project consolidated a sustained competitive streak for the show since mid-September and came soon after its renewal for another two years

It followed an unusually tight race at 6.00 between 1 News and Newshub Live, with the former winning in its traditional 25-54 stronghold (7.7% vs 6.5%) but proving vulnerable in the 18-49 demo (5.4% vs 5.0%) and losing in the other core demos (3.3% of 18-49 vs 4.3%, 8.0% of HHS/k vs 8.2%).

At 7.30, 1’s Fair Go and Border Patrol dominated with 25-45s but Three’s Australian Ninja Warrior was tops with 18-49s and 18-39s while 2’s Project Runway NZ was #1 among HHS/k.

But the last half-hour of ANW won all the key demos and helped lead-out 9-1-1 to lead with 18-49s and 18-39s while the second half of Survivor won with 25-54s and HHS/k.

Prime’s Monday night movie, Unstoppable, also rated well. It averaged 2.7% of 25-54s and 2.3% of 18-49s, which was enough to win several quarter-hour segments in each demo and overall was about a point up week-on-week.

TVNZ 1’s Take Two averaged 3.7% of 25-54s but lead-out The Trial: A Murder in the Family continued its unfavourable viewer verdict, with only a 1.0% average.

TVNZ 2’s The Walking Dead won the 10.00 hour with 25-54s and HHS/k but 18-49s and 18-39s opted for Sky’s international cricket coverage.

TVNZ 1 narrowly won the night with 25-54s and TVNZ 2 with HHS/k while Three coasted with 18-49s and 18-39s.