Huge ratings for
post-Super Bowl 'Voice'
NBC talent search averages 37.6 million total viewers
By Toni Fitzgerald
Feb 7, 2012
"The Voice" hit a new high note in its post-Super Bowl debut Sunday night.
In fact, it hit a number of high notes.
The second-season premiere of the hit NBC singing show drew 37.6 million total viewers in the hour after the game, the network's most-watched non-sports show since the series finale of "Friends" in 2004.
Among adults 18-49 the show averaged a 16.3 rating, becoming the highest-rated entertainment telecast on any network in six years, since the post-Super Bowl "Grey's Anatomy" in 2006.
It was obviously a series high for "Voice," which improved on last year's post-Super Bowl episode of "Glee" on Fox by 47 percent in 18-49s and 40 percent in total viewers.
"Voice" was NBC's top show last season, its first. The show has been compared to Fox's smash "American Idol," but it puts a new twist on the "Idol" formula.
The four judges' chairs are turned away from the auditioners, so that they evaluate the performers based only on their voices and not on their physical attributes. Only after the judges decide whether they want the auditioner on their team do they actually see what the person looks like.
The big start for "Voice" is promising for NBC because it's counting on the show to help it turn around a disappointing season.
The network is down 7 percent this season in 18-49s and most of its new shows have bombed.
"Voice" could help turn around its fortunes. It's airing Monday nights from 8 to 10 p.m., which should turn NBC into a contender on a very competitive night.
The network is also counting on "Voice" to provide a strong lead-in to its critically lauded new drama "Smash," which NBC poured millions into promoting. The show premiered last night.
NBC aired multiple ads for "Smash" during Sunday's Super Bowl, which drew a record 111.3 million viewers.
If "Voice" and "Smash" do well on Monday, that could be the start of a turnaround for NBC, which hasn't finished higher than a tie for third place among the Big Four since it won the 2003-'04 season.
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