Update: According to time-adjusted ratings from Nielsen, which account for the live airing on the west coast, Monday’s 58th Annual Grammy Awards posted a 7.7 adults 18-49 rating and reached 24.95 million total viewers.
The numbers trail the 8.5 rating and 25.3 million posted by last year’s broadcast.
The performance is the worst since 2009.
While there will be a natural inclination to blame the Monday timeslot for the ratings (last year’s show aired on a Sunday), there are arguments against that assertion. Airing on a Monday, the 2014 Emmys ceremony actually enjoyed year-to-year ratings gains.
The Monday airing, moreover, also took the Grammy Awards away from AMC’s juggernaut “The Walking Dead.”
=====================
Preliminary ratings suggest a sizable– but slightly reduced — household audience for the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.
Per Nielsen metered market data, Monday’s CBS-broadcast ceremony drew a 16.1 overnight household rating from 8-11:31PM. Last year’s ceremony, which aired on a Sunday, averaged a 16.7.
A perfectly apples-to-apples comparison is impossible for a variety of reasons. The shows aired on different nights. Last year’s show dealt with monstrous competition (particularly in the key adults 18-49 demographic) from AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” but this year’s show aired on President’s Day.
This year’s broadcast also aired live on the west coast, which may have affected viewing patterns.
Adults 18-49 and total viewership data is coming soon. It is worth noting that while the above overnight household number accounts for the live west coast airing, the fast nationals that emerge at 11AM ET will not. Time-adjusted data should emerge later in the afternoon.
