HD Ratings: TV1 Fires First Shot in New Tuesday Night Battle

TV1 could have an uphill battle with new Tuesday night drama Battle Creek.

It launched with a double-episode and while the first hour was competitive with TV3’s Humans, it didn’t test TV2’s Step Dave on a night that’s soon to become a programming battleground.

It averaged 3.7% – 4.8% of the commercial demographics and out-rated Humans (2.1% – 4.1%) among viewers 18-39 and household shoppers with kids.

In the 18-49 and 25-54 demos, viewership was split.

But Step Dave was well ahead of both, averaging 4.6% – 7.9% off the back of Reno Rumble’s 4.9% – 10.0%.

Battle Creek’s second episode mustered 2.0% – 3.2% opposite TV2’s World’s Worst Journeys (3.2% – 4.4%) and TV3’s Caught on Camera (0.6% – 2.2%).

In TV1’s 25-54 target, Battle Creek opened with 6.2% off the back of Purina Pups to Dog Stars (5.9% – 9.1%), and closed with 2.4%, which tied with the competition.

Despite glowing reviews like Jane Clifton’s (“it’s quite a feat to make serious policing into a larky sort of caper, but TV One’s new Tuesday series Battle Creek pulls it off”), TV1 has wisely opted to make 9.30 Tuesday the show’s permanent slot as of next week.

The network won two of the night’s key demos and TV2 the other two while TV3’s shares languished in the low teens: