NBC Renews THE VOICE for Seasons 4 and 5

Season 4 of “The Voice” was already sort of a given, since NBC announced that Usher and Shakira would take over the chairs belonging to CeeLo Green and Christina Aguilera. However, the network has confirmed that the hit reality competition series will be back for a 5th cycle in the Fall of 2013.

The news doesn’t really come as a surprise as the series has been performing strongly in the ratings, especially with heavy competition from The X Factor. On the “official” kick-off of the Fall season, The Voice stayed strong against tight competition from CBS sitcoms and ABC’s Dancing With the Stars, besting CBS in both viewership and demo and besting ABC in the demo. “The Voice” has more than doubled the network’s performance on Monday night last year with “The Sing-Off,” which is sad but true since that singing competition was also entertaining and full of raw talent.

NBC Chairman Robert Greenblatt said

This pickup will assure the many dedicated Voice fans that this innovative show will continue to bring some of the most talented new voices to the world’s attention through all of next year. With the addition of Usher and Shakira as rotating coaches to join Christina, CeeLo, Adam and Blake in the next cycle, we know that this incredibly addictive program will remain even more relevant as we move forward through this exciting season.”

As previously mentioned, Shakira and Usher will join Adam and Blake for season four, expected to air early 2013. It appears Christina and Cee Lo, who will be working on their own projects, will be back for season 5. The Voice is averaging nearly 13 million viewers and a 4.4 demo rating airing on Mondays and Tuesdays this fall.