Taylor Swift’s awards show hot streak ended with Sunday’s Academy of Country Music Awards ceremony, as the Academy instead chose to honor Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert with its top solo prizes.
Lady Antebellum also picked up some key single categories, further silencing Swift for the first time in a lengthy string of congratulatory events.
But Swift was hardly a non-factor during this year’s broadcast; her dramatic rendition of “Change” helped the 9-9:30PM half-hour rank as the night’s most-watched portion.
Also in the half-hour was a medley of performances from the three New Artist nominees (Gloriana, Luke Bryan, Joey & Rory), Lady Antebellum with number one hit “American Honey” and Rascal Flatts with “Unstoppable.” The latter acts certainly added drawing power to the event, but it is clear Swift continues to attract fans.
The segment posted a 3.6 adults 18-49 rating with 14.65 million viewers, topping the 3.1 rating, 13.05 million viewer average for the evening.
The second-best-performing portion was the 9:30-10PM spot, which included the bulk of Jason Aldean’s “Crazy Town,” Miranda Lambert’s “The House that Built Me,” Jack Ingram and Dierks Bentley’s “Barbie Doll” and Carrie Underwood’s “Temporary Home.” It drew a 3.5 with 13.37 million viewers.
Even with all those heavy-hitters–and the best crossover success country has seen in years–the awards show’s numbers were down more than 15% from last year’s figures.
Ratings Source: Mediaweek
