TVNZ 2 Loses Sunday Night Magic

The loss of the Harry Potter movies collapsed TVNZ 2’s overnight Sunday ratings, with franchise spinoff Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindlewald unable to match the boy wizard’s enduring appeal.

It averaged just 28,513 viewers aged 25-54 (1.39 rating/7.38 share) compared to 56,698 for the previous week’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part II (and that was one of the least-watched instalments).

Three’s premiere of Con Girl, which it’s stripping nightly this week, also underwhelmed, with 43,843 viewers (2.14 rating/17.55 share) in the core commercial demo — but the competition was formidable.

It was monstered by George Clarke’s Remarkable Renovations, which rated through the roof with 97,352 viewers (4.75 rating/35.67 share).

It was fuelled by blockbuster numbers for Hyundai Country Calendar (142,983 viewers, 6.97 rating/34.86 share) and Sunday (127,433, 6.21 rating/32.99 share).

Three’s Bondi Rescue averaged 67,504 viewers (3.29 rating/16.20 share) and House Rules NZ 51,759 (2.52 rating/13.75 share).

At 9.30, TVNZ 1’s For Her Sins (38,614 viewers) and Three’s Britain’s Child Drug Runner (35,089) easily defeated TVNZ 2’s Dunkirk (13,022).

TVNZ 1 won the night with a massive peak demo share of 37.49 vs 20.79 for Three and a catastrophic 7.49 for TVNZ 2.

Saturday night’s shares were much lower for TVNZ 1 and Three because of the 25-54 appeal of live sport on Sky while Three’s abrupt reinstatement of its Friday night movie improved viewership by nearly 13,000 on the previous week’s The Traitors UK (which now screens in double-episodes on Thursdays).

But overall it still averaged far fewer 25-54 viewers than TVNZ 1, with a peak demo share of 16.99 vs the latter’s 30.74; TVNZ 2’s was 9.27.