Airing concurrently on TNT, TBS, and TruTV, Sunday’s iHeartRadio Music Awards ceremony drew a combined — and modest — 2.12 million live+same-day viewers for its premiere telecast.
The three 8-11PM broadcasts, meanwhile, combined for a 0.88 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic.
Showbuzz first reported the numbers, clarifying that the show drew a 0.42 rating and 0.97 million total viewers on TNT, a 0.36 rating and 0.90 million total viewers on TBS, and a 0.10 rating and 0.25 million total viewers on TruTV.
The numbers were down sharply from those of last year’s ceremony, which posted a 1.7 rating and drew 5.26 million total viewers on NBC.
NBC’s inaugural 2014 ceremony, which aired on a Thursday, drew a 1.7 and 5.48 million.
The steep 2016 drop is not surprising. In addition to airing on cable networks (albeit three of them) rather than a broadcast network, this year’s show faced competition from CBS’ ACM Awards for the entirety of its 8-11PM block.
On the other hand, the ratings are still quite modest for a show that featured a myriad of high-profile music names. Justin Bieber and former One Direction member ZAYN were among the performers, while Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, and U2 made appearances.
The middle portion (9-10:30PM) of this year’s show endured competition from the season finale of “The Walking Dead,” but last year’s show faced an even higher-rated “TWD” finale in that block.