Last night’s MTV Video Music Awards, hosted by LL Cool J and featuring performances from such artists as Doja Cat, Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey and Sabrina Carpenter, earned a six-year viewership high with its move to CBS.
Watched by more than 5.5 million viewers, per Nielsen Live+SD Fast National Data, the awards show, which was simulcast on MTV and streaming on Paramount+, hit a ratings high not seen since 2019. The audience was up 42% from last year’s airing, which drew over 4 million viewers when including encore showings across the 13 networks that broadcast it, including MTV and other Paramount channels.
As such, the fete earned the No. 1 entertainment program spot of the night, competing against and beating the Sunday Night Football game between the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills, which came in second in the time period.
The event also marked the most-watched entertainment special on CBS since the Grammy Awards, held Feb. 2. On Paramount+, the VMAs clinched the third spot for largest live-streamed entertainment program, behind the Grammys and Golden Globe Awards.
Other wins for the awards show include: best voting turnout in history, with 2.5 billion global votes for the largely fan-voted event, up 121% from last year, per internal data; social media gains with over a billion global video views (up 21% from the year prior). The show also held the top trending spot on X both nationally and globally.
In addition to the broadcast move, the VMAs were bolstered by electric performances from artists known and rising (from Busta Rhymes to Tate McRae and international girl group KATSEYE). Carpenter, who just released her album Man’s Best Friend last month, took to the stage with a rousing homage to previous VMA queen Britney Spears and a message advocating for trans rights, featuring RuPaul’s Drag Race contestants as backup dancers.
The post MTV’s Video Music Awards Draw 6-Year Viewership High With Move To CBS appeared first on Deadline.
