Ratings show strong start for Campbell Live

Campbell Live has fired a solid opening salvo in the 7pm current affairs war, with the TV3 flagship out-rating Paul Holmes on Prime while falling short of Close Up.

Nielsen Media Research ratings put Close Up on TV One top in the time slot, with 502,000 viewers - 32 per cent of people watching television at the time.

TV2 soap opera Shortland Street scored 28 per cent, Campbell Live 27 per cent or 415,000 viewers and Paul Holmes, on Prime, 4 per cent.

Campbell Live, which came to air in the wake of a slanging match between TVNZ and TV3, topped its current affairs rivals in the 18-39, 18-49 and 25-54 age groups.

The popularity of Close Up in the 55-plus age group, where it had 29.8 per cent of the audience share to TV3's 15.1 per cent, helped push it to the top of the overall ratings.

Paul Holmes did best with older viewers, attracting 5 per cent of the 55-plus audience: the only demographic in which he topped 1.2 per cent.

Campbell Live was more popular with Auckland urban viewers, there outrating even Shortland Street in the 18-39, 18-49 and 25-54 age groups.

Nationally, Shortland Street was the most-watched 7pm programme in those demographics.

Ratings taken last month after Paul Holmes began showed Close Up holding an audience share of 31 per cent, with Holmes on 7.1 per cent.

Last night, the three channels churned out items ranging from selling driving licences, Chinese surgery, eggs, and whistling.

John Campbell kicked off by revealing Land Transport New Zealand was investigating driving licences being issued to Asian drivers without them sitting practical tests.

Close Up ran a story on stem cell surgery recipient Willie Terpstra, a 64-year-old Rotorua woman who went to China for the operation.

Close Up came into being after Paul Holmes left TVNZ for Prime.

Holmes investigated how to tell whether eggs were free range or battery produced, ran a report on the case of Terri Schiavo, a United States woman in a vegetative state since a heart incident 12 years ago.

He wrapped up his show with whistling champion David Morris, who whistled up a classical treat with the William Tell Overture.

- NZPA, HERALD STAFF