Even extra competition from “NCIS: Los Angeles” was not enough to stop NBC’s “The Voice” from improving in the ratings this week.
Showing rare growth from its premiere, “The Voice” rose nearly ten percent to a 5.6 adults 18-49 rating with 12.4 million viewers. Though some were hesitant to forecast an improvement over the debut episode, it definitely seemed plausible–an encore of the opener last Wednesday scored big numbers, suggesting word-of-mouth was convincing more viewers to get on board with the new music competition series.
The show’s viewership total still pales in comparison to that of “American Idol,” but the 5.6 rating puts it in the range of what the Thursday “Idol” results shows have been doing in the demo. Obviously, the comparison is not apples-to-apples, but it does indicate just how popular “The Voice” is with young adults.
“Glee,” meanwhile, recovered from last week’s season low despite going against a fresh “NCIS.” It scored a 3.6 with 8.6 million viewers.
Of note, however, is the fact that “Glee” is essentially back to where it was at the end of its fall 2009 run. That run, which saw “Glee” at its most critically-acclaimed, nonetheless took place prior to its receiving the “Idol” lead-in, when the extra eyeballs and excess buzz combined to turn “Glee” into a pop culture smash.