HD Ratings: Vegas Not Just a Drugs Bust

TVNZ 2’s punt on programming a night of NZ drama, comedy and variety didn’t pay off on Monday, when the new line-up, anchored by Rotorua-based crime drama Vegas, failed to hit the jackpot.

Vegas averaged 1.6% of the network’s target audience, 18-49 year-olds, compared to 5.9% for Three’s Married at First Sight Australia and 1.3% for TVNZ 1’s Top Gear.

It wasn’t helped by lead-in Popstars scoring only 3.3% of this core demographic on the back of Shortland Street’s 4.9%.

Popstars was more popular than TVNZ 1’s Fair Go and The Casketeers but averaged roughly half the 18-49 viewership of MAFS.

It was a similar story in the other key commercial demo, 25-54, wth MAFS averaging 6.8% of Three’s target audience vs Popstars’ 3.8%.

The race was much tighter between Vegas and the final of Three’s Kiwi co-pro The Gulf but the latter still edged ahead in both major demos and also topped TVNZ 1’s Top Gear.

However, Vegas’ 25-54 viewership was steady over the hour, opening with 2.8% and closing with 2.2%; it opened with 2.0% of 18-49s and closed with 1.5%.

TVNZ 1’s 20/20 dominated the 9.30 hour, with 1.5% of 18-49s compared to 1.0% for TVNZ 2’s premiere of Creamerie and 0.3% for Frickin Dangerous Bro on the Road.

In the 25-54 stakes, 20/20 averaged 2.0% vs 1.3% for Creamerie and 0.3% for Bro.

TVNZ 1 won the night in both key demos, with Three finishing a competitive second and TVNZ 2 a distance third.