HD Ratings: Will & Grace Shamefaced
May 15, 2019 
7 Comments
TVNZ 2’s persistence with Will & Grace as an anchor show continues to puzzle, with the sitcom’s return on Tuesday retaining less than a third of My Kitchen Rules’ lead-in viewership.
It averaged only 1.5% of the network’s target audience, 18-49 years-olds, 0.8% of 18-39s, 2.5% of 25-54s and 3.2% of household shopper with kids.
The ratings were abysmal given MKR averaged 4.1% – 10.7% of these core commercial demographics.
W&G lost by a big margin to the competition on TVNZ 1 and Three, delivering Grey’s Anatomy such a woeful audience that it could muster only 0.9% of 18-49s and 1.1% of 25-54s.
These are shockingly low numbers given how TVNZ 2 dominated the early part of the evening with Shortland Street and MKR.
TVNZ 1 ruled from 8.30, with the final of How the Other Kids Live and 20/20.
The former averaged 6.3% of the network’s 25-54 audience and the latter, 4.1%. Both shows also won their slots in the other key demos.
Three’s NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles finished second, with respective 25-54 averages of 3.9% and 2.7%.
Three’s Lost & Found rated solidly at 7.30 against MKR, with a 6.3% 25-54 average, beating TVNZ 1’s Emergency Call and The Force.
It also out-rated the reality combo in the other major demos except 18-39.
News of a Newshub overhaul isn’t surprising, given it continues to trail 1 News across the board — but Three’s 6pm bulletin isn’t being helped by underperforming lead-in I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, which averaged only 0.0% – 0.3% of the core demos on Tuesday.
However, Three looks to have a major new show lined up to replace it that could improve Newshub Live’s prospects.
The fall-out from six o’clock means TVNZ 1 still won the 7.00-7.30 slot against Three, despite Seven Sharp being off-air for half the duration!
TVNZ 1 commanded the lion’s shares of all the key demos for the night except HHS/k, whom TVNZ 2 carried.
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May 15, 2019 at 10:06 pm
Hi Phil, brilliant site! Interested to know what the major new show Three has in mind to replace I’m a Celebrity?
Thanks for your kind comment, Kevin. I’m afraid I can’t enlighten you further because of a media embargo. And I hasten to add the details Three have released so far don’t specify a slot, so I’m only speculating this series will succeed Celebrity.
I could be wrong here but I’m assuming it’s Love Island UK which starts next month but then again the content on the show wouldn’t be deemed appropriate for an afternoon slot.
Three has tweeted that Love Island UK is coming soon. So it will air in the 5pm slot albeit edited with the uncut version airing on ThreeNow or possibly on Threelife. I was wondering how they would get around airing such a risque programme at 5pm but the strategy of an uncut version makes sense.
Thanks, Leo! The frustrations of dealing with networks in the digital age. They maintain traditional embargoes for mainstream media but happily reveal details via social media. Appreciate your vigilance.
They don’t mention the timeslot it will air on social media (other than premieres June 5) but they did the same when promoting I’m A Celebrity at first too. Is it odd starting it on a Wednesday though? I’m not really familiar with Love Island – is it a 5 nights a week show?
I’m thinking Philip that Three want to build up hype for the show on their social media accounts, which means no one else gets to reveal anything until the time’s right. Kevin: you are correct, there is no time given but the only slot available that day is the 5pm one and they did say in their promo that the uncut version would air on ThreeNow. I can’t see Three stripping the show 9.30pm weeknights in the same vein as TVNZ 2 tried in 2017 plus as recent articles have pointed out, it needs a strong lead in for the 6pm news. Whether or not this will lure the Home and Away crowd remains to be seen. The show is a stripped reality show airing multiple nights and has become such a phenomenon in its home country and over here in NZ when it was shown on TVNZ OnDemand. It will be interesting to see how it performs for Three in the early evening slot.