HDTV Ratings: Eruption, Outrageous Fortune

TV3’s HD natural disaster dramatisation, Eruption, scorched the competition last night when it won its 8.30pm two-hour slot in all of the key demographics.

It helped the network to win two nights in a row, with Tuesday’s Outrageous Fortune also beating the opposition.

Eruption snared a roughly 27% share of not only TV3’s target audience, 18-49 year-olds, but also 25-54 and 18-39 year-olds, whereas TVNZ’s SD competition could muster only 10%-20% shares of these demos.

Noted NBR about the telecast: “The Twitterati exploded in derisive delight (which at least held up viewership), as the narrative sludged along with diversions into latch-key kids, breast cancer, alcoholism, and Asians’ apparent obsession with rent money (see posts under the Twitter hashtag #Eruption here).”

Outrageous Fortune cast even a longer shadow over the competition on Tuesday, when it notched up shares of 35.5% (18-49), 33.8% (25-54) and 39.2% (18-39).

It has only a few more weeks to go before the series finale, which will be swiftly followed by two DVD releases: season six and a Serial Offenders box set of seasons 1-6.

The latter will have an exclusive bonus disc of extras that’s still being finalised but which will include: retrospective interviews with key creatives (including creators Rachel Lang and James Griffin, executive producer/director Simon Bennett, and director Mark Beesley); a look behind the scenes; and extended scenes/unseen footage.

No word on a Blu-ray release yet but both DVD editions go on sale on November 17, two weeks after another of TV3’s HD drawcards, Modern Family, also gets a DVD-only release.

However, the good news is the US Blu-ray of the Emmy-winning comedy, which TV3 is repeating 10pm Thursdays, is region-free.