Olivia Rodrigo performs during the 64th Annual Grammy Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3. Photo: Rich Fury/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Nearly 9 million people tuned into the Grammys on CBS on Sunday evening, according to preliminary Nielsen ratings reported by Variety, a very slight improvement from last year's pandemic low.
Why it matters: Prior to the pandemic, the Grammys had never seen a show drop below 20 million live viewers.
Details: With over a dozen live performances packed into a 3.5 hour event, Sunday's show — which also aired live Sunday on Paramount+ — felt more like an extended concert than a buzzy awards show.
- With more music and less talking, the Grammys avoided the kind of drama that sucked up all of the attention at last week's Oscars.
- Perhaps the most talked-about moment of the evening was a surprise pre-recorded video from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which he delivered an emotional address to Americans, urging them not to stay silent about the war.
The big picture: The Grammys live TV audience has been in decline for years, but hit a new low last year during the pandemic. This year's event, which had the benefit of a live audience and fewer COVID restrictions, couldn't reverse the downward trend.