In posting a record low live+same-day rating, Sunday’s 2016 American Music Awards ceremony provided little about which to celebrate.
Some of the night’s segments do, however, deserve less blame for the soft performance than others.
The ceremony drew its peak adults 18-49 rating in the 9-9:30PM half-hour. That portion, which included The Weeknd’s “Starboy,” Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj’s “Side To Side” and Drake’s “Bad Blood” commercial, drew what Programming Insider reports as a 2.7 in the key demo.
In drawing 8.72 million total viewers, the segment was not, however, the night’s most-watched half-hour. It was actually #3 for total viewership.
The leader for total viewership was the 8:30-9PM half-hour. That portion of the broadcast, which drew 8.82 million viewers (and a 2.5 in the demo), featured The Chainsmokers, Halsey & Travis Barker’s “Closer,” James Bay’s “Let It Go,” and Shawn Mendes’ “Treat You Better”/”Mercy” medley.
The 8-8:30PM half-hour narrowly trailed with 8.81 million total viewers (but only a 2.3 in the demo). Marking the opening of the broadcast, the half-hour featured Bruno Mars’ “24K Magic,” Gigi Hadid and Jay Pharoah’s monologue, Niall Horan’s “This Town,” and Fifth Harmony’s “That’s My Girl.”
Total viewership started to more substantially fall after 9:30PM, but the 9:30-10PM half-hour actually drew the show’s second-best demo rating. Featuring John Legend’s “Love Me Now,” twenty one pilots’ “Heathens”/”Stressed Out” medley, and Justin Bieber’s “Let Me Love You,” the half-hour drew a 2.6 and 8.25 million total viewers.
Viewership went below 8 million at 10PM; the 10-10:30PM half-hour drew a 2.3 rating and 7.52 million total viewers. It featured Lady Gaga’s “Million Reasons,” Green Day’s “Bang Bang,” and the beginning of Sting’s performance.
Featuring the end of Sting’s performance, DJ Khaled’s “Do You Mind” collaboration, the night’s two highest-profile awards (Pop/Rock Female and Artist Of The Year) and Maroon 5 & Kendrick Lamar’s “Don’t Wanna Know,” the 10:30-11PM half-hour sank to a 2.1 adults 18-49 rating and 6.80 million total viewers.
It is worth noting that the 8PM and 8:30PM half-hours benefited from weaker competition; neither faced “The Walking Dead” and the 8PM half-hour largely avoided game action from Sunday Night Football. That noted, awards shows tend to peak during the 9PM hour.