TAYLOR SWIFT, SHANIA TWAIN, CIARA (ABC/Image Group LA)
Last year’s American Music Awards ceremony aired on a Tuesday in early October. The switch did not help ratings, with the show enduring a 25% decline from 2017 in the key adults 18-49 demographic.
Given that outcome, the show unsurprisingly returned to Sunday (and November) for 2019. The November return did not, however, spur a ratings gain.
According to fast national data posted by Showbuzz, the 8-11PM portion of Sunday’s American Music Awards ceremony averaged a 1.7 adults 18-49 rating. It meanwhile averaged 6.73 million overall viewers.
The 2018 show drew a slightly stronger 1.8 adults 18-49 rating but a slightly weaker 6.59 million viewer mark.
Sunday obviously presents more competition — the 49ers-Packers football game outdrew last year’s MLB playoffs matchup — but the key is that the 2019 ceremony was way down from the last Sunday iteration of the awards.
The 2017 show, which aired on Sunday, November 19, drew a markedly better 2.4 demo rating and 9.15 million viewer mark.