New Zealand likes talent: TVNZ’s investment begins to pay off after opening night draws huge ratings

Coming at a cost of $3.2 million, TVNZ and NZ on Air, along with major sponsor Toyota, have invested heavily in New Zealand’s Got Talent. And after the first episode of the international format show aired last night, that investment looks set to pay off, as it was the highest launch for a New Zealand entertainment/reality show in the past seven years.

In TV One’s target demographic of 25-54, the episode, which has seen TV One’s flagship current affairs show Sunday bumped back to 7pm and shortened by half an hour so it could take the prime 7.30pm slot, achieved a rating of 21.4 or 44 percent share, and out-rated all other channels to win its zone. TV One was the preferred channel for 25-54 year -old Kiwis last night.

In the all 5+ figures, the show, which received a good review in The Herald, gained a huge average audience of 934,800, which gave it a total share of 22.9 (47.4 percent of all those watching TV last night were watching New Zealand’s Got Talent). Compare that to the final of The Block, which gained an average audience (all 5+) of 491,600. 

Reality shows offer good social media currency and help grease the wheels of second screening and that was certainly the case last night: at 8.00pm #NZGT was the top trending topic on Twitter globally and it stayed that way until around 8.45pm, at which point it dropped to second. It continued to have a place in the top ten right through until 11pm.

As for TV One’s other big local show on Sundays, Nothing Trivial, which is being sponsored by the newly Kiwified VW and features a campaign along similar lines to this one from the UK, the ratings aren’t quite as good as last year. The first episode of season one on Wednesday July 20 2011 drew an average audience (all 5+) of 516,300, compared to the first episode of season two on Sunday August 26 2012 that drew an average audience of 331,500. That has increased to 348,100 after the third episode last night. 

In case you missed it last week, here’s the Top 20 shows of 2012 in 25-54 (average ratings across a series), although judging by the initial ratings, NZ’s Got Talent looks set to take the number one title.