Smart scheduling, tough challengers for "American Idol," and even an oddity in the way Nielsen ratings are recorded have helped make NBC's "The Voice" the top-rated series of the season so far.
But you won't catch NBC, the fourth-place network, publicly bragging about "The Voice" beating "American Idol" in the ratings -- especially not so early in their seasons, when so much can change. Fox's veteran "Idol" has spent a stunning eight years as the top-rated network in the advertiser coveted 18-49 demographic. And it could still rebound to win this season as well.
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"Idol" also holds big financial advantages over its upstart competitor: Thanks to its near-decade of dominance, it can charge more than twice what "The Voice" does for a 30-second ad. "Idol" also typically airs two new episodes a week, compared to one for "The Voice." That means twice as many twice-as-expensive ads.
Still, "The Voice" ratings lead -- for however long it lasts -- is a huge morale booster for NBC as new entertainment chief Bob Greenblatt tries to lead it past ABC to third place. (Fox leads the networks in ratings in the demo, and CBS in total viewers.)
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The singing competition's second season ratings growth reminds at least one observer of "American Idol's" second season.
"It just to me points out this is a real contender," said Horizon Media senior vice president of research Brad Adgate. "It's not like the show has plateaued in year two. It's increased. It's always a good sign for a TV show when the ratings improve in the second season compared to the first."
It remains to be seen whether the midseason hit -- which debuted in April 2011 and returned for a second season this month -- can fare as well when it moves to the fall for season three, as TheWrap has previously reported it will do.
It also remains to be seen whether NBC can use the success of "The Voice" to launch other hits. So far, the musical drama that follows it, "Smash," has earned only decent ratings while losing much of its powerful lead-in.
Also read: How NBC Found Its 'Voice' -- Can It Lead the Network Out of Fourth?
"The Voice" owes much of its success to a plum post-Super Bowl timeslot for its season-two premiere on Feb. 5. But the show is still faring well against the aging "Idol" even with that episode factored out.
The Super Bowl episode and the three episodes that have aired on the Monday nights since have averaged a 7.7 rating/19 share in the demo and 19.8 million total viewers. Without the Super Bowl episode, "The Voice" has averaged a 6.2/16 and 16.7
