Idle Ratings Bad News for Idol

Three is shifting both midweek episodes of American Idol to Saturday nights after weeks of persistently low ratings.

The changeover happens Saturday, when the US talent quest will replace the network’s movies and screen as a three-and-a-half-hour block.

Three was going to implement the strategy from May 5 but has just now announced it will happen a week earlier.

Replacing Idol on Tuesdays will be seasons 15 of Grand Designs UK and NCIS while a Star Wars season will fill the Wednesday slot, opening with Star Wars: A New Hope on May 2 (NCIS: LA will return after the Star Wars marathon has ended).

Three would have been hoping Idol’s ratings might have rebounded post-Commonwealth Games.

There was slight improvement but not enough to stop it being walloped by TVNZ 2’s surging My Kitchen Rules, which previously was being consistently outrated by Three’s Married at First Sight.

Last Tuesday’s episode averaged 3.1% of 25-54s versus 6.2% for MKR while TVNZ 1’s line-up also was well in front, with Dog Squad’s 5.6%, The Force’s 4.6% and Rich House Poor House’s 4.9%.

Wednesday’s Idol averaged 3.3% of Three’s target demo compared to MKR’s 6.0%.

But it was competitive with TVNZ 1’s Location Location Location (3.4%) and edged out the channel’s season premiere of Doctor Doctor (3.2%).