Grammys ratings jump, but figures still far behind pre-pandemic era
- Sara Fischer, author of Axios Media Trends
Host Trevor Noah speaks onstage during the 65th Grammy Awards at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Sunday. Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
At least 12.4 million people tuned into the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, marking a much-needed bounce-back from pandemic-era viewership lows, according to early estimates from Nielsen.
Why it matters: The show, which aired live on CBS and Paramount+, "did not aspire to reinvent the wheel of the Grammys in any way," Variety chief music critic Chris Willman, noted. But a number of upbeat performances and "firsts" helped put the show back on the radar of millions of Americans.
- Beyoncé broke the record for the most-awarded Grammy artist of all time with 32 wins. Viola Davis became the 18th person ever to receive an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award with her win Sunday.
Details: Ratings were up 30% compared to last year, Paramount said in a statement.
- The show reached its largest live-streaming audience in history across Paramount+ and other CBS platforms, the company added.
- It drew just 8.8 million viewers in 2021 and 9.6 million in 2022. More than 18 million tuned into the show in 2020 before the pandemic-driven lockdowns began. Nearly 40 million people tuned into the show during its peak in 2013.
- Comedian Trevor Noah hosted the show for the third time in a row this year at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
The big picture: Award shows saw huge viewership declines during the pandemic, but have slowly started to regain some of their lost viewership.
- Still, the decline of award show audiences has pushed award show organizers to begin putting their productions on streaming services.
- Netflix said last month it will televise the Screen Actors Guild Awards. The Academy of Country Music Awards left CBS for Amazon in 2021.
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