Ratings Watch: ‘The Voice’ Returns Strong; Huge Timeshift Lift for ‘People v. O.J.’
The Voice keeps on spinning.
The NBC singing competition returned on February 29 with 15.5 million viewers and a 4.1 rating among adults 18-49, when three days of DVR and VOD lift is included. That made it the No. 2 show of the week in the demo (behind only The Walking Dead), and the second-most watched broadcast program of the week, behind just NCIS.
In live ratings, The Voice premiere also won its first night back in adults, men and women 18-49; adults, men and women 25-54; men 18-34 and total viewers.
Meanwhile, NBC’s Blindspot returned from a 14-week absence, winning its Monday 10/9c timeslot in every key demographic. And the March 3 Republican Presidential Debate – the party’s 11th of the primary season – was the most-watched debate so far in 2016.
And FX’s The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story has become a tremendous success in DVR and VOD usage, as more people now watch the show via time-shifting than they do live. Among total viewers, People v. O.J. bumped up 127%, from 2.7 million to 6.2 million. And in the adults 18-49 demo, the show jump 145%, from a 1.1 rating to a 2.7 rating.
Here are the top 25 shows (including Live+3 DVR and VOD data) among total viewers and adults 18-49 for the week of February 29 through March 6, 2016.
Total viewers chart:
| RANK | SHOW & NETWORK | LIVE+3 | WATCHED |
| 1 | NCIS CBS | 18.3 | 15.4 |
| 2 | The Walking Dead AMC | 17.7 | 12.8 |
| 3 | Republican Presidential Debate Fox News | 17.3 | 16.8 |
| 4 | The Voice (Monday) NBC | 15.5 | 13.3 |
| 5 | NCIS: New Orleans CBS | 14.1 | 11.7 |
| 6 | The Voice (Tuesday) NBC | 14.0 | 12.3 |
| 7 | Criminal Minds CBS | 12.2 | 9.3 |
| 8 | Scorpion CBS Madam Secretary CBS | 12.0 12.0 | 9.2 10.2 |
| 10 | 60 Minutes CBS | 11.7 | 11.4 |
| 11 | Modern Family ABC | 11.0 | 8.2 |
| 12 | Survivor CBS | 10.8 | 9.2 |
| 13 | The Big Bang Theory CBS Grey’s Anatomy CBS | 10.7 10.7 | 10.1 7.7 |
| 15 | NCIS: Los Angeles CBS Blindspot NBC | 10.5 10.5 | 7.9 6.8 |
| 17 | American Idol (Thursday) Fox | 10.4 | 8.7 |
| 18 | Chicago P.D. NBC | 10.3 | 7.2 |
| 19 | Life in Pieces CBS | 9.8 | 8.4 |
| 20 | Mom CBS | 9.5 | 8.0 |
| 21 | Law & Order: SVU NBC The Good Wife CBS The Bachelor ABC | 9.3 9.3 9.3 | 6.9 7.3 8.2 |
| 24 | Elementary CBS Mom CBS | 8.9 8.9 | 5.6 7.4 |
| Total viewers; in millions |
Adults 18-49 chart:
| RANK | SHOW & NETWORK | LIVE+3 RATING | WATCHED RATING |
| 1 | The Walking Dead AMC | 8.8 | 6.1 |
| 2 | The Voice (Monday) NBC | 4.1 | 3.4 |
| 3 | Modern Family ABC Republican Presidential Debate Fox News | 3.8 3.8 | 2.6 3.6 |
| 5 | Grey’s Anatomy ABC The Voice (Tuesday) NBC | 3.5 3.5 | 2.2 3.0 |
| 7 | The Bachelor ABC | 3.0 | 2.5 |
| 8 | Criminal Minds CBS Blindspot NBC | 2.9 2.9 | 1.9 1.8 |
| 10 | Talking Dead AMC | 2.8 | 2.3 |
| 11 | The Goldbergs ABC Survivor CBS NCIS CBS People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story FX | 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.7 | 2.1 2.2 2.0 1.1 |
| 15 | How to Get Away with Murder ABC | 2.6 | 1.4 |
| 16 | Law & Order: SVU NBC Chicago P.D. NBC | 2.5 2.5 | 1.6 1.5 |
| 18 | American Idol (Thursday) Fox 2 Broke Girls CBS | 2.4 2.4 | 2.0 1.7 |
| 20 | Scorpion CBS Life in Pieces CBS | 2.3 2.3 | 1.5 1.8 |
| 22 | Gotham Fox The Real O’Neals (9:30 pm) ABC The Real O’Neals (8:30 pm) ABC Mom CBS | 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 | 1.5 1.9 1.8 1.7 |
| Adults 18-49; ratings points |
