The summer TV season is upon us, and network lineups are filled with all kinds of reality and game shows. NBC recently kicked off a brand new reality competition series called World of Dance, which pits a wide variety of dancers up against the scrutiny of judges Jennifer Lopez, Ne-Yo, and Derek Hough. There was plenty of star power packed into the premiere, but it was hard to say if that would be enough to attract viewers. Now, the numbers for the series premiere are in, and they point toward World of Dance turning into a big hit for NBC.
World of Dance scored an impressive 2.4 rating in the valuable 18-49 demographic and drew 9.7 million viewers in Live+Same day measurements. Those calculations mean that World of Dance can boast the top 2017 premiere of the Big 4 broadcast networks in both ratings and viewership in its time slot. Additionally, the premiere scored the highest ratings and largest viewership in the 10 p.m. time since all the show premieres last fall. The ratings tally is the highest since NBC's This Is Us premiere, and the viewership tally is the highest since CBS' MacGyver premiere.
The records get even better. The World of Dance premiere won the highest ratings for a summer alternative TV show (broadcast or cable) in five years, tying NBC's American Ninja Warrior record from 2012. It was also the most-watched premiere for a summer alternative series debut across broadcast and cable in nine years, beating the previous record set by ABC's Wipeout in 2008. All in all, the first episode of World of Dance was enough of a success the propel it to NBC's most-watched summer show debut in almost a decade. The last NBC summer alternative show to debut to higher numbers came back in July 2007, with The Singing Bee.
NBC should definitely be happy, not least because the 2.4 rating represents a 71% growth over the average from the same time slot at this point last year in Live+Same day calculations. Who knows? Maybe the ratings and viewership will become even more impressive in the coming days, once post-live viewing can be tallied. It's too soon to tell if World of Dance can possibly sustain such numbers as the season continues, so we'll have to wait, watch, and see for ourselves.
You can catch new episodes of World of Dance on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest in TV news, and don't forget to check out our summer TV premiere schedule to discover all your viewing options now and in the coming weeks. Be sure to drop by our rundowns for cable/streaming and broadcast TV renewals and cancellations as well. If streaming is more your style, our Netflix premiere schedule will help you out.
