HDTV Ratings: November 1-2

Underbelly: Razor improved in the ratings last night – by a whisker.

The Aussie crime drama that last week languished below 4% of key demographics averaged 5.1% of 25-54 year-olds and 4.7% of 18-39 year-olds, which in each case was up one-and-a-half points.

It also was up slightly with 18-49 year-olds (from 4% to 4.6%) and household shoppers with kids (from 3.5% to 4.2%).

While the gains were modest, they were achieved on the back of a weaker lead-in, with the re-run of Bigger Better Faster Stronger delivering fewer viewers than Your Worst Animal Nightmares.

TV3 also would have been heartened that The Borgias fared marginally better, too.

It averaged 4.2% of 25-54s (versus 3.7% the previous week) and 18-49s (vs 4%), 3.2% of 18-39s (vs 2.2%) and 5.2% of HHS/kids (vs 2.3%).

Screening half-an-hour later, at 10pm, because of TV One’s MasterChef Australia special, hurt Harry’s Law’s popularity, with its 25-54 viewership dropping from 7.6% the previous week to 4.7%.

On Tuesday, TV3’s NCIS/LA double-bill out-rated TV2’s HD competition, The Celebrity Apprentice, in the 25-54, 18-49 and 18-39 demos, but came off second-best among HHS/kids.

And as happened last week, Apprentice’s viewership fell sharply over its two hours after being delivered a much larger audience than either NCIS or TV One’s Undercover Boss Australia.