With voting turned over to the fans, teen star Justin Bieber had no trouble cleaning up at Sunday’s American Music Awards presentation; his wins included Artist of the Year and Favorite Pop/Rock Artist.
And while his presence was not enough to help the ABC special avoid a double-digit decline from last year’s broadcast among adults 18-49, he also emerged as the top ratings draw on the show.
The 9-9:30PM portion of the show, which featured the closing moments of Katy Perry’s “Firework,” Bieber’s performance and Bon Jovi’s medley, scored the night’s best rating, a 4.7 with 12.96 million viewers. The subsequent half hour, which featured performances from P!nk, Ne-Yo and Taylor Swift, held fairly steady with a 4.6 rating and 12.33 million.
Granted, some credit for the aforementioned artists’ success belongs to the timeslot; the 9PM hour clearly represents ideal positioning for those after the biggest possible audience, especially within the young adult demographic. Still, there is no reason that 9PM should outdraw 9:30PM (the recent CMA Awards peaked from 9:30-10) and also no reason the hour should prove so dominant over 10PM, especially when the most-hyped acts of the show are performing in the final portion.
But the decline was notable for Sunday’s show. The 10:30PM portion, which culminated with the vastly-promoted New Kids on the Block/Backstreet Boys collaboration (NKOTBSB) and also included the final moments of Ke$ha’s number and the pairing of Carlos Santana and Gavin Rossdale, dipped to a 4.1 rating with 10.39 million viewers. The prior segment, which featured Christina Aguilera’s heavily-hyped “Burlesque” performance, as well as Train’s gig and the bulk of Ke$ha’s effort, averaged a 4.4 with 11.58 million.
Earlier in the night, the 8PM portion with a lengthy Rihanna opening, Enrique Iglesias’ performance and Miley Cyrus’ “Forgiveness and Love,” kicked off with a 3.7 and 10.91 million viewers. 8:30-9PM saw performances from Diddy-Dirty Money, Kid Rock and the Black Eyed Peas, as well as the beginning of Katy Perry’s showing. It averaged a 4.2 with 11.99 million viewers.
Overall, the awards posted a 4.3 with 11.69 million.
