NBC’s “The Voice” returned for its sixteenth season Monday night with a premiere that was up 24 percent among adults 18-49 versus the prior cycle’s finale and slightly ahead of that season’s debut, leading NBC to a win in that key demo and total viewers, according to preliminary data from Nielsen.
From 8-10 p.m., the two-hour Season 16 launch of “The Voice” scored a 2.1 rating and 10.8 million total viewers.
Last February, with huge momentum following three weeks of the high-rated Winter Olympics, “The Voice” Season 14 premiered to a big 2.8 rating and 12.3 million total viewers. Its most recent cycle launched in the fall to a 2.0 and 9.7 million viewers.
Over that season, “The Voice” averaged a 1.7 and 9.3 million viewers. Its December finale received a 1.7 and 9.9 million viewers.
But the competitive singing series — now featuring new coach John Legend, along with the returning Blake Shelton, Adam Levine and Kelly Clarkson — wasn’t the only show to prevail for NBC during Monday’s primetime.
The debut of the new Jennifer Carpenter-led spy thriller “The Enemy Within” — which premiered right after “The Voice” — managed to beat ABC’s “The Good Doctor” in its 10 p.m. time slot, both in the all-important 18-49 range and overall viewers.
NBC was first in ratings with a 1.8 rating/8 share in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and in total viewers with an average of 9.1 million, according to preliminary numbers. Following “The Voice” season premiere — which got the previously noted rating and viewer tally, plus a 9 share — the series debut of “The Enemy Within” at 10 p.m. landed a 1.2/5 and 5.8 million viewers.
ABC was second in ratings with a 1.6/7 and in viewers with 6.6 million. From 8-10, “The Bachelor” posted a 1.8/8 and 6.7 million viewers. “The Good Doctor” at 10 received a 1.1/5 and 6.3 million viewers.
CBS was third in ratings with a 0.9/4 and in viewers with 6.5 million. At 8, “The Neighborhood” earned a 1.2/5 and 7.1 million viewers. At 8:30, “Man With a Plan” put up a 1.0/4 and 6 million viewers. At 9, “Magnum P.I.” had a 0.9/4 and 6.3 million viewers. At 10, “Bull” settled for a 0.8/4 and 6.7 million viewers.
Fox was fourth in ratings with a 0.8/3 and in viewers with 3.1 million. Following a repeat, “The Passage” at 9 settled for a 0.8/3 and 3.3 million viewers.
Univision and Telemundo died for fifth in ratings, each with a 0.4/2. Univision was fifth in viewers with 1.4 million and Telemundo came in sixth with 1 million.
The CW was seventh in ratings with a 0.1/1 and in viewers with 538,000. The network aired filled its primetime with reruns.