Commentary

Glimmer Of Hope For TV Awards Shows As Grammy Ratings Rise

Sunday’s Grammy Awards on CBS saw a 28% jump in audience from a year earlier, halting a nosedive in the ratings that started in 2020.

The Grammy’s audience increase represents the biggest year-to-year jump for any of TV’s big three awards telecasts in memory.

The three-hour "65th Annual Grammy Awards” hosted by Trevor Noah (above photo) had 12.4 million viewers, according to CBS, which cited Nielsen time-zone adjusted fast national ratings.

Last year’s audience amounted to 8.9 million, and 2020’s was 8.8 million. By contrast, 2019 Grammy viewership was 19.88 million viewers.

Last weekend’s uptick gives hope that TV’s other high-profile awards shows -- the Oscars and Emmys -- might also be able to stem their own audience declines with this year’s shows.

advertisement

advertisement

All three have seen their audiences sliding for a number of years now, as the TV Blog has reported a number of times.

However, last year’s Oscars did see an audience increase as it tallied 16.6 million total viewers.

Viewership for the 2022 Oscar telecast represented a comeback of sorts for Hollywood’s biggest night because a year earlier, in 2021, the awards show drew the lowest audience in its television history -- 10.4 million.

The 2021 tally was a shocker since a year earlier, in 2020, the Oscar audience was 23.6 million, a very respectable number in the current TV environment.

This year’s Oscars, airing March 12 on ABC and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will try to improve on last year’s turnaround and keep the momentum going.

As for the Emmys, last year’s viewership was a record low -- at 5.92 million. It is a paltry figure for such a high-profile awards show, especially since it is on television and honors the best of television too.

Emmy viewership has been in decline for years. Its most recent high was 17.63 million in 2013.

The TV Blog’s most recent column on the ratings woes of the big three awards shows was just last week.

It was a Grammy preview blog that carried the headline “With Viewership In The Tank, Grammys Are Back For Another Try.” This morning’s blog represents a welcome change from columns like that one.

“To be clear, the TV Blog would like nothing more than to write columns all year long about year-to-year growth in the ratings for the biggest awards show -- Emmys, Grammys and Oscars,” the TV Blog wrote last week, which is why today’s blog on the Grammy ratings was a pleasure to write.

It also represents an opportunity to right a wrong. “Where viewership trends for TV’s highest-profile awards shows are concerned, the odds don’t favor a turnaround for the Grammys this year,” I wrote last week.

This week, I am delighted to admit I was wrong about that.

2 comments about "Glimmer Of Hope For TV Awards Shows As Grammy Ratings Rise".
Check to receive email when comments are posted.
  1. Darrin Stephens from McMann & Tate, February 8, 2023 at 2:07 p.m.

    Don't read too much into the Grammy ratings increase. The previous two telecasts aired in March and April, and notably, during Daylight Saving Time, where overall TV viewing drops.

  2. Ben B from Retired, February 8, 2023 at 9:09 p.m.

    The Grammy's are the only award show I watch the others since I don't watch the TV shows or movies that are up for nominations I don't watch them.

Next story loading loading..