It was the first episode of season 11, but insofar as it was a half-hour broadcast and positioned as a preview, the August 21 “The Voice” may not have allowed for the best comparison to past cycles.
Monday’s episode — the official two-hour season premiere — offers a better opportunity to assess interest level versus recent season.
The verdict: this year’s premiere was down slightly from the previous two season openers.
According to fast national data posted by Showbuzz, “The Voice” drew a 3.3 adults 18-49 rating and 12.00 million total viewers.
By comparison, this past spring’s tenth season premiere drew a 3.4 adults 18-49 rating and 13.33 million total viewers. The (perhaps more comparable) season nine premiere, which aired in the fall of 2015, drew a 3.5 and 12.37 million total viewers.
Even if they hold in the final ratings report, the slight drops would not ordinarily be problematic for a series in its eleventh season. One may even call the year-to-year retention good in that context.
If there is a negative to the story, it is that the introduction of Miley Cyrus and Alicia Keys as coaches did not notably increase interest. We got that sense when the August 21 preview numbers came in, and we now appear to have confirmation.
— “The Voice” led into the premiere of “The Good Place,” which averaged a solid 2.3 adults 18-49 rating and 8.06 million total viewers from 10-11PM.
