Jon & Lucy Most Popular Couple

Wednesday’s premiere of TVNZ 2’s Jon & Lucy’s Odd Couples cracked the top 10 shows of the night in the 25-54 demographic.

It averaged a 2.27 rating/17.89 share to draw 46,499 viewers — 7,000 fewer than Taskmaster UK did the previous week (although the share was roughly the same).

Three’s 8.30 rival, Couples Therapy, improved to a 2.01 rating/11.82 share or 41,180 adults — a big jump on the previous week’s 24,665.

TVNZ 1’s Race Across the World shed nearly 9,000 viewers week-on-week to average a season-low 1.09 rating/14.5 share (or 38,947).

At 9.30, TVNZ 2’s Based on a True Story (1.11 rating/11.08 share) narrowly beat Three’s The Price of Glee (1.10 rating/8.47 share), which finished ahead of TVNZ 1’s Coronation Street (0.95 rating/9.13 share).

Two hours earlier, MasterChef Australia dominated (3.93 rating/26.18 share) while TVNZ 1’s Blankety Blank (2.40 rating/16.33 share) and Three’s Paddy Gower Has Issues (2.25 rating/13.20 share) fought it out for second place.

The night’s most-watched programmes in the 25-54 demo were: 1 News, The Chase (5.30), Seven Sharp, Shortland Street, MasterChef Australia, Newshub Live at 6pm, The Project, Home and Away, Blankety Blank and Jon & Lucy’s Odd Couples.

The channel shares were: TVNZ 1, 25.19; TVNZ 2, 19.83; Three, 16.61; Duke, 7.21; Rush, 3.62; Prime, 2.42; Bravo, 1.93;  Eden, 1.69; HGTV, 1.06.