WASHINGTON - So was Super Bowl XLI a behemoth in the ratings, as always?
The show averaged a 47.8 rating and 71 share in Nielsen's "overnight markets" (no viewer data available yet at this point), which ranks third overall and a tick behind last year's record-setting game (a 47.9/71 in overnights, which later translated to a best-ever 111 million viewers).
The second season premiere of NBC's The Voice, which followed the Super Bowl, airing from approximately 10:15-11:30 p.m. ET, averaged a 19.4/33, retaining 37 percent of the game's final half-hour (9:30-10 ET), and is 27 percent ahead of last year's airing of Glee on Fox, which averaged a 15.3/27 in overnights and eventually translated to 26.8 million viewers.
If this proves proportionate, adjusted Voice numbers should reach 34 million viewers. However, The Voice ranked below the last reality show that aired behind the Bowl, the premiere of CBS' UndercoverBoss, which averaged 38.7 million viewers.
(Copyright © 2012 USA TODAY)