"The Blacklist" gave a solid performance on its opening night. NBC's first new drama for the fall attracted 12.6 million viewers. The pilot episode defeated rival CBS' premier of "Hostages" which only gathered 7.5 million viewers.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the strong ratings of "The Blacklist" was due largely to the strong ratings of the fifth cycle of "The Voice." The singing contest had 14.7 million viewers for its premier night. "The Voice" airs just before "The Blacklist."
The high ratings of both shows should help NBC increase its revenues. Chief Executive Officer Steve Burke earlier told the Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2013 Media, Communication & Entertainment Conference in Beverly Hills that smaller ratings had cost NBC in terms of earnings. Burke said NBC sold advertising at a 20% discount because of lower ratings. As a result, other rivals like CBS, Fox and ABC make USD 500 million to USD 1 billion more than NBC annually.
"Retransmission consent is a big opportunity for broadcast, but more fundamentally, we've underperformed," Burke said.
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