HD Ratings: Taskmaster Passes Tokyo Test

TVNZ 2’s Taskmaster NZ bounced back on Wednesday from last week’s slump, with higher core demographic ratings despite competing against TVNZ 1’s Tokyo Olympics coverage.

The Jeremy Wells vehicle averaged 2.3% of 25-54 year-olds (vs 1.8% the previous Wednesday) and 2.0% of 18-49s (vs 1.5%).

Three’s crime shows were the casualty of this and the Olympics.

LA’s Finest averaged only 1.7% and 1.5% of the key demos opposite Taskmaster while lead-out Hawaii Five-O finished third at 9.30 with 0.7% / 0.5%.

Taskmaster proved an incompatible lead-in to Coronation Street, however.

The first night of the soap switching channels to accommodate the games on TVNZ 1 cost its viewers, with sub-par demo averages of 0.8% of 25-54s and 0.6% of 18-49s.

But Three led TVNZ 2 at 7.30, when The Block NZ averaged 3.9% of 25-54 (vs 3.3% for MasterChef Australia) and 3.3% of 18-49s Its 2.7%).

At 7.00, sandwiched between 1 News at 6pm and the Olympics, TVNZ 1’s Seven Sharp was well in front of TVNZ 2’s Shortland Street and Three’s The Project.

TVNZ 1’s games coverage averaged 5.8% of 25-54s from 7.30-10.30, peaking at 10.8% from 9.00-9.15.

TVNZ 1 won the night with a 34.1% share of 25-54s and 33.1% of 18-49s while TVNZ 2 and Three’s shares were in the low teens, with the latter edging out the former for second place.