TV ratings: ‘Voice’ tops ‘Bachelor’ finale; ‘Believe’ opens solid

NBC’s “The Voice� beat the 18th-season finale of ABC’s “The Bachelor� in the ratings Monday night, according to early numbers from Nielsen.

Juan Pablo Galavis’ “Bachelor� run came to an end, wooing fewer viewers than last year’s finale. The reality series’ season closer averaged 9.6 million viewers over two hours, with a rating of 3.2 among key 18-to-49-year-olds, Nielsen said.

In the advertiser-desired young-adults demographic, “The Bachelor� was down about 9% from last spring’s finale, which faced “The Biggest Loser� on NBC instead of “The Voice.�

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However, ABC still had the top-rated show in 18-49 with the 10 p.m. “The Bachelor: After the Final Rose� special, which drew a 3.8, beating “The Voice’s� 3.7 in the preliminary numbers. “After the Rose� was steady with last year’s comparable special.

“The Voice� was the most-watched telecast in prime time, with 13.6 million viewers overall. Its key demographic score fell 18% from last week.

NBC followed the popular singing competition with the launch of its new fantasy series “Believe� from J.J. Abrams and “Gravity� director Alfonso Cuaron. “Believe� took off with 10.7 million viewers and a rating of 2.7 in 18-49, a solid hold from the big “Voice� lead-in, and matching last week’s episode of “The Blacklist� in the time slot.

CBS felt the pressure from “The Bachelor,� as both “How I Met Your Mother� and “Mike & Molly� fell 18% week-to-week to a 2.7 and a 1.8, respectively. “Intelligence� rose a tick from its last episode, to a 1.3.

On Fox, “Bones� returned to Monday night and rose 6% from its last original episode, to a 1.7, while the Kevin Bacon thriller “The Following� slipped 6% to a 1.5.

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