HDTV Ratings: May 12

TV2’s HD juggernaut, Rescue 1, continues to wipe out the competition on Thursdays.

Although last’s night’s rating dipped in the key 18-49 and 25-54 demos, they were still staggeringly good — 15.5% and 15.2% respectively — while the show’s 24.8% of household shoppers with kids was barely down from last week’s 25%.

With TV2’s target audience, 18-39 year-olds, it rated 16.8% compared to 5.45% for the second half of TV3’s Wipeout — which barely improved on the HD show it replaced, America’s Next Great Restaurant. (In the older demos, Wipeout did climb but peaked at only 5.3%.)

Rescue 1’s popularity is delivering a much stronger lead-in to No Ordinary Family than TV3 can provide for its HD alternative, Bones, which continues to lag two-to-three ratings points behind after at one stage this season being even or ahead.

Meanwhile, TV2’s 10.30pm season-two finale of Fringe rated strongly, with 7.6% of HHS/kids and 6.2% of 18-49 year-olds, both of which were up on the previous week, and a steady 6.5% of 18-39 year-olds.