Tin Star Shines Brighter

Three’s struggling Tin Star has rebounded in the ratings since TVNZ 1’s pulled Criminal Minds for Doctor Foster.

Monday’s episode of the British crime drama averaged 4.1% of Three’s target audience, 25-54 year-olds, to win the 8.30 hour against Doctor Foster (2.5%) and all but one quarter-hour segment of TVNZ 2’s comedy combo, Will & Grace (5.1%) and The Mick (2.8%).

TVNZ 1’s 11th-hour bid to resuscitate Doctor Foster’s prospects by repeating the season premiere on Saturday didn’t pay off.

Saturday’s repeat averaged only 1.9% off the back of time-slot winning X Factor UK’s 4.1% while episode two on Monday was up just one-tenth of a rating point on the premiere.

It also lost to Tin Star in the other key demographics: 1.8% vs 3.3% of 18-49, 1.2% vs 3.3% of 18-39, and 4.0% vs 4.4% of household shoppers with kids (in all three of these demos, TVNZ 2’s comedies won the hour).

The previous week, Tin Star averaged only 1.0% – 2.9% of the core commercial demos.

TVNZ 1 fared better at 9.30, when Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders seesawed with Three’s Blue Bloods: each averaged a 25-54 rating of 2.5% vs 1.7% for TVNZ 2’s Tricked House of Horrors.

But Blue Bloods won the hour in the 18-49 demo while earlier in the night, Three’s Married at First Sight NZ rebuilt the network’s audience off the back of low-rating The Project.

MAFS won the 7.30 hour in the 25-54 and HHS/k demos and even though it lost to TVNZ 2’s My Kitchen Rules NZ in the 18-49 and 18-39 stakes, it lifted Three’s viewership significantly, averaging 4.6% – 9.3% compared to The Project’s 1.5% – 3.1% (vs 3.0% – 5.6% for TVNZ 1’s Seven Sharp).

MKRNZ averaged 6.0% – 8.2% of the key demos but received a much stronger lead-in from Shortland Street (6.9% – 13.8%).

Prime also got a 7.30 bump, with ITM Hook Me Up snaring a 25-54 average of 2.1% compared to 0.9% the previous week.

Despite TVNZ 1’s woes with Doctor Foster, it narrowly won the night with a 25-54 share of 22.0% over Three’s 21.3% and TVNZ 2’s 20.3%.

But TVNZ 2 easily dominated in the other core commercial demos.