The Block NZ Dominates Ratings in Its Second Week

The Block NZ Dominates Ratings in Its Second Week,
Three Unveils New Content for 2018-19

The Block NZ is already dominating ratings coming into its third week, averaging a 27.2% audience share and 8.5 rating point amongst the commercially important 25-54 demographic. Last night saw Bathroom Week come to end with a 27.8% share and 9.2 rating, the highest rating episode for the season-to-date. Tune in tonight as the teams begin Kid’s Bedroom Week with the added drama of the highly anticipated Dinner Wars.

Monday night also saw The Block NZ reach a 30.0% share and 8.5 rating, followed by cult-favourite Westside* which continues to win its timeslot with a 24.6% share and 6.2 rating amongst 25-54s. Three won the night on Wednesday, reaching an overall share of 25.0% in the same demographic with another hit performance from The Block NZ (29.6% share, 9.1 rating) followed by a timeslot win from Hawaii Five-O (16.8% share, 2.8 rating).

Other wins for the week include:
Tuesday: SVU (16.5% share, 2.8 rating)
Friday: 7 Days* (20.6% share, 4.9 rating)

In an exciting announcement last week, Three confirmed global phenomenon Gogglebox will be getting a local makeover. Gogglebox NZ will take itself into the living rooms of 10 ordinary Kiwi households and capture their reactions while they watch television from the previous week across different networks.

Hot off her Dancing With The Stars NZ hosting gig, The Edge’s Sharyn Casey will narrate the local version, which offers a unique insight into television viewing habits. The show promises to make you laugh, cry and cringe - so get ready for the ultimate living room experience with a uniquely Kiwi twist. Also announced in Three’s lineup is new US premium drama, The Rookie, starring Nathan Fillion.

In addition, Comedy Pilot Week is set to take off on Three later this year. Five sitcom pilots created by budding creatives and comedians will be aired during primetime in a fresh promotion that aims to give new comedy talent a platform to showcase their concepts.

Looking ahead, Three has also confirmed an array of shows to screen in 2019 including Jonah, The Untold Story, a two-part mini-series based on All Black legend Jonah Lomu which will be screening next year.

Jonah, The Untold Story will showcase the phenomenal life of the boy from Tonga and New Zealand who took the rugby world by storm. MediaWorks Chief Content Officer Andrew Szusterman says, “What Ali was to boxing, Lomu is to rugby. There has never been and most likely never will be a bigger name in our national game.

Working with Great Southern Television, New Zealand on Air and with the support of Nadene Lomu and family, we are honoured to tell Jonah's story in 2019. I have no doubt the mini-series will be one of the biggest television events of the year.” You can read the full story here.

While Kiwi audiences are lapping up the outrageously addictive fourth season of Westside* currently airing on Three, fans can now look forward to 10 more episodes in 2019. Adding a fifth season of local prequel drama Westside* to the six epic seasons of the original Outrageous Fortune makes this New Zealand’s second-longest running NZ drama franchise, an exciting achievement for the series. Also confirmed is an eleventh season of comedy hit 7 Days*, which has been a consistently high rater and a regular Friday night fixture in Kiwi living rooms for the past decade.

Last but not least, two-part documentary Patrick Gower: The High Road, will see Newshub’s Patrick Gower explore the pros and cons of legalising marijuana for both recreational and medicinal use. Gower says, "I have always had my doubts that marijuana is good for anything more than people getting stoned. But every day there seems to be a headline from somewhere around the world that proves me wrong. We are going to get out there and show Kiwis the good and the bad when it comes to legalising weed."

In radio, The Edge Breakfast’s Dom, Meg and Randell released a new marketing campaign today, showcasing the trio as unlikely (and fairly unconvincing) superheroes. Speaking about the new campaign, The Edge's Content Director Ryan Rathbone says, "Considering we have less time than a Instagram story to capture the attention of our audience, we decided to break the mold of traditional radio show marketing and create something that would spark a conversation or make you laugh just like Dom, Meg and Randell's breakfast show.” Check out the new commercial here.

Jonah, The Untold Story, Westside, 7 Days, Patrick Gower: The High Road and Comedy Pilot Week will all be funded with the support of NZ On Air.

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