NBC’s new singing talent show “The Voice” has garnered the prized television spot–airing after the Super Bowl. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Chairman of NBC Entertainment Bob Greenblatt, an hour-long episode of the show will air Sunday, Feb. 5 following Super Bowl XLVI. It has yet to be released as to whether the episode will be the season premiere.
“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,” Greenblatt said in a statement. “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.”
Also, the midseason second round of “The Voice” is set to act as a two-hour lead-in to NBC’s new Broadway-themed show, “Smash”, which is a drama centered around a group making a Broadway musical.
“The Voice” is getting the star treatment by NBC because of how well the show has done. In ratings, it is only second to “American Idol”, a show that, in the past, has routinely outshone other talent shows.
It would also seem that NBC is glad to have both “The Voice” and “Smash” on their network, since it provides them with serious leverage against Fox and their “American Idol”/”Glee” line-up.
Next year, it’ll be a serious Battle of the Networks! Let the battle begin!
