At last week’s CMA Awards, it was country diva Carrie Underwood who produced the biggest ratings spike. While Underwood was one of the bigger draws on Sunday’s American Music Awards telecast, her ratings magnet could not compete with that of Lady Gaga.
The dance/pop breakout led the 9:30-10PM half-hour to an impressive 6.3/15 adults 18-49 rating, the largest of the night. With 15.7 million viewers for the segment, the half-hour claimed an advantage over the broadcast’s 5.5/14, 14.2 million viewer average for 8-11PM.
Also performing in that 9:30PM half hour were Mary J. Blige and Jennifer Lopez.
Elsewhere, performances from 9-9:30PM and 10-10:30PM also spiked strong ratings. The 9PM portion, which showcased the Black Eyed Peas, Rihanna and Carrie Underwood, drew the second-highest viewer total with 15.5 million (and a 5.9/14 demo rating). The 10PM segment featured Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys, Eminem and 50 Cent en route to a 6.1 rating with 15.2 million viewers.
During these three periods, the American Music Awards topped NBC’s Sunday Night Football for first place in adults 18-49. The awards telecast ranked second in the other three segments.
Sources: Nielsen Media Research, MediaWeek