TV ratings: ‘Voice’ and ‘Dancing’ finales down from last year

Maybe the networks should spread out their competition show finales next time around.

Two singing contests and a semi-celebrity dance-off battled for viewers Tuesday night, as season finales for NBC’s “The Voice” and ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” went head-to-head for the first time and Fox’s “American Idol” aired its second-to-last episode of its current cycle.

All three appeared to suffer from the glut of unscripted programming.

“The Voice” was the top show in the key young adults category as it crowned its winner, though it was down from last spring’s season finale.

The “Voice” Season 6 finale earned a rating of 3.3 among key 18- to 49-year-olds, according to numbers from Nielsen, for its highest number in eight weeks, winning the night in the demographic.

The two-hour closer that began at 9 p.m. averaged 11.6 million viewers overall.

However, compared to last June’s finale, “The Voice” was down about 25% in 18-49.

“Dancing With the Stars” won in overall viewership, waltzing away with an average of 14.9 million people watching during its two-hour telecast. “DWTS” earned a rating of 2.4 in 18-49, down 11% from a year ago.

At 8 p.m., “Idol’s” final round of performances didn’t hold up well under the onslaught. The show nabbed a 1.7 in 18-49, down 19% from a week ago. “Idol’s” rating was also lower than a “Voice” recap at 8 p.m.

Fox also debuted the new reality show “I Wanna Marry ‘Harry,’” but viewers weren’t ready to walk down the aisle. The premiere attracted just 2 million viewers and a soft 0.7 in 18-49, which is better than last week’s premiere of “Riot,” but that’s not saying much.

CBS opted for specials in the form of “Judge Judy Primetime” and “ACM Presents: All Star Salute to the Troops,” both of which landed a 0.9 in the coveted demo.

On the CW, “Supernatural” ended its current season with a 1.1 in 18-49, up 38% from last week and also up 10% from last year.