HDTV Ratings: March 17-20

Modern Family's still far from chirpy in the ratings

TV2’s Sunday night mix of sitcoms and movies continues to be unassailable in the ratings, despite facing top HD shows like Modern Family and The Good Wife.

Repeats of Two and a Half Men lead off the night, drawing twice as many viewers in the major demographics as TV3’s first-run episodes of Modern Family.

TV One’s HD option, North, is competitive only with 25-54 year-olds, where last night it rated 11.4% versus Two and a Half Men’s 12.1%, but the latter dominated in the other key demos.

TV3’s Sunday HD drama, The Good Wife, fared slightly better in its second outing, possibly because more fans are discovering it’s on a new night.

Even so, with ratings of 4.1%-5.1% in the target demos, it’s still dwarfed by TV One’s female-skewed alternative, Offspring.

Hyundai Country Calendar’s first season in HD is proving popular, with Saturday’s episode winning the 7pm slot in the age groups that matter most to TV One while TV3’s HD premiere of the movie, Marley & Me, out-rated TV One’s The Bucket List but didn’t stand a dog’s chance against TV2’s Déjà Vu.

Likewise, TV3’s HD double-bill of Glee and The Graham Norton Show draws about only half the viewership of TV2’s sitcoms-and-American Idol combo.

On Thursday nights, TV3’s HD staple, Bones, was again neck-and-neck with TV2’s No Ordinary Family in the 18-49 and 25-54 demos but NOF is more popular with household shoppers with kids.

And after a rocky start, TV3’s An Idiot Abroad has consolidated its ratings, drawing 6.4%-7.4% of the key demos but still finishing behind TV2’s 20/20 and TV One’s How the Other Half Live.