HD Ratings: Wife Swap Hard to Beat

TVNZ 2’s Wife Swap NZ, which continues tonight at 8.30, is an instant hit.

The premiere won its slot in all the core commercial demographics and even out-rated lead-in Booze Patrol Australia.

It averaged 6.6% of the network’s target audience, 18-49 year-olds, 7.4% of 25-54s, 5.0% of 18-39s and 8.8% of household shoppers with kids.

These were extraordinary numbers for midweek and helped TVNZ 2 to win the night with the highest peak demo shares.

The night started strongly with Shortland Street and Police Ten 7 winning their slots across the board, and Booze Patrol Australia in three of the four key demos.

But Wife Swap lead-out Take Me Out continues to be a stumbling block, losing to the second half of Three’s movie The Sentinel in every demo except HHS/k.

TVNZ 1’s Mrs Brown’s Boys specials held up well against Wife Swap, averaging 4.3% and 2.3% of the network’s 25-54 demo.

And lead-in George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces continues to hammer Three’s Grand Designs UK, drawing twice as many viewers in each of the core demos.

Similarly, the 6pm news contest, where 1 News’s budget coverage dwarfed Newshub Live’s, a trend that continued with the 7pm newsmags.