RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘The Voice’ & ‘Dancing’ Finales Down From Last Year, ‘Supernatural’ Closer Up, ‘Idol’ Slips, ‘Harry’ Debuts Low
NBC and ABC synched up their schedules last night, both airing hourlong recap specials leading to the two-hour finales of their talent competition series The Voice and Dancing with the Stars, respectively. The nets split the night, with NBC taking adults 18-49 (2.8) and ABC winning in total viewers (13.7 million) with its largest audience in a year and a half. The two finales had something else in common — both were down year-to-year. The Voice (3.3 in 18-49, 11.6 million total viewers) posted an eight-week high for a Tuesday telecast in 18-49 but was down 25% from last spring’s finale, which aired in June to mark the third consecutive cycle of finale ratings declines. Dancing (2.4) was down 11% from last spring’s season finale to tie last fall’s cycle as the lowest-rated finale.
Despite facing soft competition in the 8 PM hour this week with Voice and Dancing recaps and a Judge Judy special on CBS (0.9), the performance finale of Fox’s American Idol (1.7, 6.6 million) was down 19% from last week. Compared to last year’s performance finale, Idol was down a steep 43% in 18-49 and 45% in total viewers. After the comedy-improv series Riot bombed in its debut behind Glee last Tuesday, Fox moved up the premiere of new reality series I Want To Marry Harry to follow the Idol performance finale. It did only marginally better, pulling in a 0.7 in 18-49 vs. the dismal 0.5 for Riot last week.
The CW veteran Supernatural continues to defy its age. Last night’s ninth season finale (1.1) was up 38% from last week and up 10% from last season’s finale. (CBS stayed out of contention with specials.)
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