Traitors Reaches Season High

The Traitors NZ is turning into one of the year’s biggest hits for Three, with Tuesday’s episode averaging nearly 85,000 viewers aged 25-54.

It scored a 4.14 rating/21.61 share to deliver a record number of overnight viewers for the show in the network’s most coveted commercial demographic: 84,990.

That was 35,000 more adults than TVNZ 2’s Taskmaster NZ averaged (2.92 rating/14.29 share) and 3,300 more than TVNZ 1’s Your Home Made Perfect (3.98 rating/21.77 share).

But Three’s drama Accused failed to capitalise on its lead-in, averaging just 33,280 viewers (1.62 rating/12.45 share).

It was out-rated by both TVNZ 1’s Paramedics (61.941 viewers, 3.02 rating/27.32 share) and TVNZ 2’s NCIS: Hawai’i (37,959 viewers, 1.85 rating/13.64 share).

TVNZ 1 went on to win with Coronation Street while TVNZ 2’s re-run of Kings of Pain led Three’s Newshub Late.

But Newshub Live at 6pm had a strong night, closing the gap with 1 News: it averaged a 5.38 rating/31.16 share vs the latter’s 7.64 rating/42.83 share.

The night’s most-watched programmes in the 25-54 demo were: 1 News, Seven Sharp, Newshub Live at 6pm, The Traitors NZ, The Chase (5.30), Shortland Street, Your Home Made Perfect, The Project, Paramedics and Taskmaster NZ.

The biggest free-to-air peak-hour demo shares were: TVNZ 1, 31.42; Three, 21.57; TVNZ 2, 15.50; Duke, 4.71;  Eden, 3.63; Bravo, 2.71; Rush, 1.97; HGTV, 1.59.