Promoted as a far bigger deal than previous iterations and up against little broadcast competition, the 2013 Academy of Country Music Awards surged to dominant ratings.
From 8-11PM, the show averaged an impressive 4.3 adults 18-49 rating with 15.4 million viewers. That marks a considerable increase over last year’s show, which posted a 3.1 rating in the key demo.
Viewership peaked at 16.69 million in the 9-9:30PM half hour. That portion, along with the 9:30-10 and 10-10:30 segments, averaged a peak 4.7 adults 18-49 rating.
Rather than coming across like “just another country music awards show” or even “a spring alternative to the CMAs,” this year’s broadcast was positioned as a star-studded, industry-defining event and actually outdrew the 2012 CMA Awards show.
To that event’s credit, it aired on a Thursday night against far stiffer competition. This year’s ACMs faced virtually no original broadcast competition; the night’s second place performer was a re-run of “Family Guy” that drew a mere 1.7 for FOX.