Early “Dancing with the Stars” Ratings Down; “The Voice” Also Falls

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The already-crowded Monday night brodcast lineup got more loaded with the return of “Dancing with the Stars” this week, and it appears that all major shows endured some of the impact.

“Dancing with the Stars” opened to a 13.4 overnight metered market rating (household approximation), according to TVMediaInsights, which represents a fall of more than 16% from last year’s opener.

While the competition certainly did not help, it is presently unclear how much of an impact the Monday involvement of “The Voice” played on the number. “Dancing” had already shown signs of weakening in the fall, and as this year’s cast is one of the least-marquee ever (though one of the most entertaining ever, based on the reaction to lats night), ratings expectations could not have been lofty.

The adults 18-49 number will provide a clearer picture of how the ongoing competition from CBS and new competition from NBC affected the show where it counts.

Worthy of positive mention, meanwhile, is the fact that “Dancing” demonstrated its usual start-to-finish viewership growth.

The presence of “Dancing” also delivered a competitive ratings impact in its own right. NBC’s “The Voice,” though very likely the winner in adults 18-49, fell notably in the overnights, dropping from a 9.1 last week to a 7.6 this week.

CBS’ comedy lineup, meanwhile, was down across the board in the overnights: “How I Met Your Mother” (5.8, down 11%), “2 Broke Girls” (6.6, down 11%), “Two and a Half Men” (7.8, down 7%) and “Mike & Molly” (6.5, down 7%).

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