Schedule Alert: 60 Seconds, Skin A&E, Guessable

TVNZ 2 is rejigging its schedule to put its best foot forward against Three’s season premiere of Dancing With the Stars NZ this weekend.

As previously posted, it will roll out Britain’s Got Talent on Sunday night barely a week after the variety show’s UK launch.

And on Monday, it’s pre-empting 60 Seconds and Skin A&E for the Jackie Chan-Chris Tucker movie, Rush Hour (Rush Hour II will screen the following week).

60 Seconds will shift to 7.30 Fridays for its last two weeks from April 29, replacing Guessable after just one episode (season two premieres tonight).

TVNZ 2 is making the changes not just because of DWTS’ expected dominance but also the weakness of its own programming.

Monday’s broadcast of 60 Seconds averaged just 1.3% of the network’s target demographic, 18-49 year-olds, and 1.8% of 25-54 year-olds to finish third in the 7.30 slot.

Lead-out Skin A&E also languished in third place, with key demo averages of just 0.9% and 1.2%.

Replacing both with action movies for the next few weeks will tap into an audience that otherwise won’t be served by DWTS or the middle-aged laddishness of TVNZ 1’s top-rating Bradley Walsh and Son: Breaking Dad, which will air 8.00 Mondays from May 1 in a bid to dent the dance show’s popularity.

TVNZ 1 also is ditching its April 28 late-night repeat of 20/20 for I Am Not A Rapist, a re-run of the British documentary about three young men who were falsely accused of rape.