NBC followed its record-breaking broadcast of the 2012 Super Bowl with Monday’s heavily promoted series debut of Smash and the sophomore season of The Voice. Both broadcasts, according to fast affiliate ratings, did exceptionally well for the net, landing them in first place for the night among adults 18-49 and viewers.
Smash made its entrance at 10:00 p.m., earning a 3.8 in adults 18-49 and 11.5 million viewers overall during the hour. It makes it the third-highest rated demo debut for a drama this television season, just two tenths of a point behind leader Once Upon a Time (4.0) and Touch (3.9) — the latter of which was technically a preview.* Though the series did dip over the course of the broadcast (it lost 20 percent from the first to second half hour), it gave NBC its first demo win in the time slot, Olympics excluded, since Saturday Night Live‘s election special in 2008.
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Things looked even brighter for The Voice. The expected Super Bowl drop-off (60 percent) still gave it the net’s highest rated regular telecast in the demo in over 4 years, since a Sept. 2007 episode of Heroes. Over the course of its two-hour broadcast, The Voice averaged a 6.6 among adults 18-49 and 17.7 million viewers.
That marks a 29 percent jump from last year’s 5.1 rating series debut and nearly a 2 point spread ahead of the freshman season average (4.7). Moreover, The Voice grew in each half-hour, posting a 5.3, 6.2, 7.3 and 7.7, sequentially, between 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.
Slipping into a stable second was CBS. The network had relatively modest drops in its line-up after three weeks off the air, though Two and a Half Men, Mike & Molly and Hawaii Five-0 did all hit season lows. CBS pulled in a 3.5 among adults 18-49 with 10.8 million viewers. How I Met Your Mother was down 9 percent for a 4.0 in the demo, followed by the night’s strongest scripted performer, 2 Broke Girls, which brought in a 4.3. Two and a Half Men reached a 4.2, Mike & Molly pulled in a 3.4 and Hawaii Five-0 managed a 2.7.
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ABC’s Bachelor managed to stay flat with a 2.6, despite the introduction of The Voice and new offerings from CBS. Castle tied its season low of a 2.0 in adults 18-49, giving the network a 2.4 rating in the demo and 8.4 million for the night.
House and Alcatraz took the night’s biggest hits. The Fox dramas fell 17 and 21 percent, respectively, for a 2.4 and 2.2 among adults 18-49. Still, the network was only narrowly beat by ABC, averaging a 2.3 demo rating and pulling in 6.97 million viewers.
The CW had new episodes of Gossip Girl (0.6 in adults 18-49) and Hart of Dixie (also a 0.6) for a 0.6 over the course of the night.
Monday, Feb. 6, Overnight Ratings:
8 p.m.
NBC: The Voice (16.1 million total viewers, 5.7 rating in adults 18-49)
CBS: How I Met Your Mother (9.98 million, 4.0)
ABC: The Bachelor (8.1 million, 2.5)
Fox: House (7.1 million, 2.4)
The CW: Gossip Girl (1.3 million, 4.3)
8:30 p.m.
CBS: 2 Broke Girls (11.4 million, 4.3)
9 p.m.
NBC: The Voice (19.3 million, 7.5)
CBS: Two and a Half Men (12.9 million, 4.2)
ABC: The Bachelor (8.4 million, 2.7)
Fox: Alcatraz (6.8 million, 2.2)
The CW: Hart of Dixie (1.5 million, 0.6)
9:30 p.m.
CBS: Mike & Molly (11 million, 3.4)
10 p.m.
NBC: Smash (11.5 million, 3.8)
CBS: Hawaii Five-0 (9.8 million, 2.7)
ABC: Castle (8.7.1 million, 2.0)
*Among scripted programs, Smash ranks as the fourth strongest debut of the season. 2 Broke Girls earned the top spot with a 7.1 in the 18-49 demo. In all programming, it ranks fifth behind X Factor‘s two-night premiere (4.4 on Wednesday; 4.3 on Thursday).
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