Grammy viewership rises 36.2% to largest audience since 2020

Brandi Carlile introduces a performance by Joni Mitchell during the 66th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

HOLLYWOOD – Viewership for CBS’ coverage of the Grammy Awards was up 36.2% from last year to 17.092 million, its largest audience since 2020, but still the fifth-lowest all-time, according to live-plus-same-day figures released by Nielsen this week.

Grammy viewership has increased each year since setting a record low in 2021, 9.227 million, when much of the ceremony was virtual. It rose to 9.587 million in 2022 when was delayed to April due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in the Los Angeles area, airing when television viewing is traditionally lower because of better weather and more sunshine caused by the shift to daylight saving time.

The 2023 ceremony averaged 12.545 million viewers, third-lowest of all time. The 2006 ceremony averaged 17.01 million, the fourth-lowest.

The only Grammy ceremonies on record to average fewer than 17 million viewers have come since 2021. Like nearly all forms of programming, viewership for awards shows has declined in recent years because of increased options available on streaming services, including the same programs as on traditional television.

Figures are available dating back to 1977. The record audience for the Grammys was in 1984, when it averaged 51.671 million when Michael Jackson won a record eight awards, a record tied by the rock band Santana in 2000.

Mariah Carey, left, presents the award for best pop solo performance to Miley Cyrus for “Flowers” during the 66th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Sunday’s three-hour ceremony from Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles was the most-watched prime-time program between Jan. 29 and Sunday.

NBC’s “Chicago” franchise accounted for three of the other five prime-time programs to average more than 5 million viewers in the first week of the 19-week-old 2023-24 television season without a meaningful NFL game.

“Chicago Fire,” was second for the week, averaging 6.732 million viewers. “Chicago Med,” which preceded “Chicago Fire,” was third, averaging 6.615 million.

“Chicago P.D.” which followed “Chicago Fire,”  averaged 5.533 million viewers, fifth for the week and first among programs beginning at 10 p.m.

The CBS news magazine “60 Minutes,” fourth for the week, averaging 6.606 million viewers, and the NBC crime drama, “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit,” sixth for the week, averaging 5.234 million viewers, were the other programs to top 5 million viewers.

The Grammys enabled CBS to be the week’s most-watched network, averaging 4.77 million viewers. NBC was second, averaging 3.14 million, and ABC third, averaging 2.33 million.

All three networks aired 22 hours of prime-time programming.

ABC’s most-watched program was a rerun of “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” 11th for the week, averaging 4.051 million viewers.

Fox averaged 1.64 million viewers for its 15 hours, 18 minutes of prime-time programming. Its most-watched program was the game show “The Floor,” 35th among the week’s prime-time broadcast and cable programs, averaging 2.572 million viewers.

The CW averaged 390,000 viewers for its 15 hours, one minute of programming. Its most-watched program was the magic competition series “Penn & Teller: Fool Us,” which averaged 629,000 viewers, 163rd among broadcast programs, one spot below the 1971 film, “Hannie Caulder,” which averaged 632,000 on the Westerns-oriented network Grit.

The week’s 20 most-watched broadcast and cable prime-time programs consisted of the Grammys, seven NBC scripted programs and its alternative program “America’s Got Talent: Fantasy League”; “60 Minutes,” three scripted series and two editions of “The Price is Right at Night” on CBS; and five ABC alternative programs.

The MSNBC political talk show “The Rachel Maddow Show,” was the most-watched cable program, averaging 2.892 million viewers, 25th overall.

Fox News Channel was the most-watched cable network, averaging 1.979 million viewers, with the Monday through Thursday editions of the political talk show “Jesse Watters Primetime” finishing second through fifth.

MSNBC was second, averaging 1.238 million viewers. ESPN was the other cable network to average more than 1 million viewers for its prime-time programming, averaging 1.107 million viewers.

The cable prime-time top 20 consisted of 15 Fox News Channel political talk shows — five broadcasts each of “Jesse Watters Primetime” and “Hannity” and “Gutfeld!”; the MSNBC Monday political talk shows “The Rachel Maddow Show” and “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell”; ESPN’s coverage of the Kentucky-Tennessee men’s basketball game; History’s long-running chronicle of a search for treasure on a Canadian island, “The Curse of Oak Island”; and the 8 p.m. segment of the USA Network professional wrestling program “Monday Night Raw.”

The most-watched Spanish-language program was the Tuesday episode of the Univision telenovela “Minas de Pasión,” which averaged 1.608 million viewers, 57th among broadcast programs. Its overall rank was not available.

Univision was the most-watched Spanish-language network, averaging 1.22 million viewers. Telemundo was second, averaging 990,000 viewers, followed by UniMas (390,000) and Estrella TV (80,000).

ABC’s “World News Tonight with David Muir” was the most-watched nightly newscast for the 270th time in 271 weeks, averaging 7.901 million viewers. “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt” was second, averaging 6.746 million viewers. The “CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell” was third, averaging 4.997 million viewers.

The week’s 10 most-watched prime-time programs were CBS’ coverage of the Grammy Awards; NBC’s “Chicago Fire” and “Chicago Med”; CBS’ “60 Minutes”; NBC’s “Chicago P.D.” “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Law and Order”; the Wednesday edition of “The Price is Right at Night” on CBS; NBC’s “America’s Got Talent: Fantasy League”; and CBS’ “FBI.” (CNS)