After providing a ray of late-spring sunshine on another dark and cloudy year of NBC programming, “The Voice” has been rewarded with the most desirable place on NBC’s schedule for next spring, the coveted post-Super Bowl slot.
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NBC announced on Tuesday (May 31) that “The Voice” will air a special hour-long episode after Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday, February 5. It’s unclear if that airing will be the premiere of the second season of “The Voice,” which has been scheduled from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Mondays in the spring, leading into the new musical drama “Smash.”
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“There is no better showcase on television than to follow the Super Bowl, and we believe ‘The Voice’ is deserving of such high-profile exposure,” states NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt. “The attention grabbing blind audition phase of ‘The Voice’ has mass appeal and will fittingly team up with the biggest sporting event of the year.”
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With its late premiere, “The Voice” finished the 2010-2011 season as the year’s top new show among adults 18-49, averaging a 5.4 key demo rating along with 12 million viewers overall. Although ratings have dropped a tiny bit in recent weeks, “The Voice” is expected to tick back up with a slate of new episodes airing through June with substantially less competition for its final Battle episode and live performance airings.
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Musical coaches Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton are expected to return for “The Voice” Season Two.
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