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Zhejiang Satellite TV's second season of the "Voice of China" has set new TV ratings records since premiering last Friday.
According to CSM Media Research statistics, the "Voice of China" ratings hit 3.62 percent, making it the No. 1 show that night and additionally setting the record for the highest ratings for of a show premiere ever. The show was repeated later Friday night with ratings still hitting 1.576 percent, beating reality talent show "Happy Boys," one of the most anticipated shows broadcasted on Hunan Satellite TV. Ratings for the latter got stuck at 1.282 percent.
According to CSM, the highest ratings that night for the "Voice of China" even reached 4.63 percent. Contestants Liu Yating, Li Qi, Jin Runji, Ding Kesen, Yao Beina, Wang Tuo and Zhu Ke pushed the show to its climax, with the biggest highlight possibly being 26-year-old Ye Binghuan singing "I Love You."
Ye Binghuan, who's from Lala Mountain in Taiwan, is often compared to a younger version of Taiwanese indie singer Crowd Lu. Binghuan impressed the coaches with his breathtaking note-bending abilities.
The other contestants also showed off their vocal assets. For example, Yao Beina is the singer of the theme song for China's hottest TV series "The Legend of Zhen Huan;" Jin Runji then is the lead singer of pop formation Alilang Group.
The "Voice of China" producers said they hired more than 200 casting directors to scout talented Chinese contestants across the globe.
The second season of the "Voice of China" welcomes two new vocal coaches, Taiwanese singer A-Mei and Chinese mainland rock singer Wang Feng. Returning to the show are first-season coaches Na Ying and Harlem Yu. In the first episode, the four coaches entertained audiences by singing renditions of each others’ classics.
The live internet streaming of the premiere also caused quite the stir. Sohu's video site saw 2.15 million users staying on to watch the show live online, whereas another 31.42 million users played the show's videos a total 120 million times in 48 hours since debuting. According to estimates, the entire second season of the "Voice of China" will attract 3 billion views both on TV and online, reaching some 200 million individual internet users.
Talent shows are still very popular in China, especially in summer. Last year, the first season of the "Voice of China" attracted an average viewership of 4 percent of the total mainland TV audience, making it the most popular talent show of the year.
