Bruno Mars | Michele Crowe/CBS
Update: The 2018 Grammy Awards ceremony indeed suffered a sharp year-over-year ratings decline.
Citing time-adjusted data, CBS says the broadcast drew a 5.9 adults 18-49 rating and averaged 19.81 million overall viewers.
The demo rating represents an all-time low. The viewership mark is the lowest in nine years.
Last year’s show posted a 7.8 in the demo and 26.05 million in overall viewership.
That 2017 ceremony, it should be noted, faced competition from AMC’s “The Walking Dead.” This year’s show faced no such challenge.
====
Preliminary ratings data reveals a substantial year-over-year ratings decline for the Grammy Awards.
According to metered market data posted by Programming Insider, Sunday’s show averaged a 12.7 overnight household rating from 7:30-11PM ET.
Last year’s show drew a markedly stronger 16.0 overnight household rating.
Due later this afternoon (the 11AM “fast national” ratings will be inaccurate, as they will not account for the live west coast broadcast), the adults 18-49 and total viewership numbers may not reflect a drop of the same magnitude. Given the sharp decline in households, it is nonetheless hard to imagine those numbers will have avoided a drop completely.
Of note: unlike last year’s show, this year’s event did not face competition from AMC’s popular “The Walking Dead.”
From a household ratings standpoint, the show peaked in the 9-9:30PM half-hour (13.6 household rating). The 8:30-9PM and 9:30-10PM portions tied for second place with a 13.5.
The show, predictably, drew its lowest rating in the 7:30PM half hour (10.5). Awards shows often draw comparatively weak ratings at the beginning of the telecast, and the early 7:30PM start time only would have compounded that reality.