The numbers are in. The 64th annual Grammys telecast aired this past Sunday (Apr. 3) and it drew 8.93 million viewers according to time zone-adjusted fast national ratings from Nielsen. The time zone-adjusted ratings do not include out of home viewing, which will be included in the final ratings out early Tuesday. CBS estimates that Sunday’s telecast will adjust up to 9.6 million total viewers when Live + Same Day data comes in Tuesday (Apr. 5).
The new numbers show an increase of about 130,000 viewers from the comparable figures last year, which were an all-time low for the Grammys, an occurrence that can blamed on the sized-down affair due to the pandemic. That means there has been just a 1.4% increase in audience size from last year’s show, despite this year’s telecast having many memorable moments.
It’s worth nothing for comparison’s sake that the Oscars grew nearly 60 percent in total viewers and 77 percent among adults 18-49. These numbers, however, do not come close to their pre-pandemic standards.
This year, the Grammys were hosted by Trevor Noah from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and were delayed by about two months from its usual January show date.
Despite an anticlimactic result numbers-wise, the Grammy Awards ceremony had plenty of moments to remember. Nas delivered a quality live performance, H.E.R. performed alongside Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Lenny Kravitz and Travis Barker, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy introduced John Legend’s performance with a powerful message.
Many deserving artists took home awards last evening, including Doja Cat and SZA for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance with “Kiss Me More,” Olivia Rodrigo as Best New Artist, and a sweep by Silk Sonic for their smash hit “Leave The Door Open” in multiple categories such as Record of the year and Song of the Year. You can check out the full list of winners on REVOLT here.