Update: Final live+same-day data posted by Showbuzz confirms that ABC’s 2016 “CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night To Rock” special matched last year’s show in adults 18-49. It outperformed the 2015 broadcast in total viewership.
This year’s show drew a 1.2 adults 18-49 rating and 5.58 million total viewers. Last year’s special managed a 1.2 with 5.23 million.
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Preliminary data suggests mixed live+same-day results for this year’s “CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night To Rock.” The three-hour ABC broadcast was down slightly in adults 18-49 but up in total viewership.
According to fast national data posted by Showbuzz, Wednesday’s CMA Fest special drew a 1.1 adults 18-49 rating and 5.54 million total viewers. Slightly younger-skewing, last year’s edition posted a slightly stronger 1.2 in the demo but reached a lesser total audience of 5.23 million.
Last year’s show was down sharply from the 2014 broadcast, which drew a 1.9 rating and reached 7.27 million total viewers.
An hour-by-hour breakdown reveals that this year’s show drew its peak audience in the 9PM hour. That middle hour drew a 1.2 adults 18-49 rating and 5.99 million total viewers. The 10PM hour posted the same 1.2 rating but reached only 5.56 million viewers, while the 8-9PM section drew a 1.0 rating and 5.06 million.
