TV Ratings: Grammys Almost Even With 2016 Results, Steady With 2015

UPDATE 10: 24 AM: The Grammy Awards have all been handed out, the speeches and protests have been given and Adele accidently broke her Album of the Year trophy in half onstage while declaring that Beyoncé should have won.

With all that, the 59^th annual Grammys pulled in 26.05 million viewers and a 7.8 rating among adults 18-49 for CBS on a very uncompetitive Sunday on the Big 4. In time-adjusted results that was up 4% from the total set of eyeballs on the 58^th annual Grammys, which was held on a Monday last year. Looking at the key demo, last night’s James Corden-hosted and politically charged show was basically even with the February 15, 2016 show with a 1% rise.

All of which makes music’s biggest night 2017 the most watched Grammys since 2014 but the second lowest rated since 2009 – with only 2016 going lower.

Sunday-to-Sunday, the 2017 Grammys are up in viewership and but down 8% in the demo from the last time the show was held on the weekend night. The 57^th annual Grammys of February 8, 2015 got an 8.5 rating and 25.3 million viewers – at that time the worst performance for the show since the 7.5 18-49 result and audience of 19.05 million that the Sunday-held 2009 Grammys drew.

Like the 2015 Grammys, last night’s show faced a midseason return of blockbuster The Walking Dead.

PREVIOUSLY, 6:16 AM: The 59th annual Grammy Awards saw a sweep of big wins for Adele last night and big performances from Beyonce, A Tribe Called Quest, Lady Gaga and Metallica — and the 25 singer herself rockin’ the packed Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. Hosted by James Corden for the first time and back again on a Sunday, the nearly four-hour CBS broadcast also saw tributes to Prince and George Michael, a bleeped out “f***” from Adele, posthumous honors to the late and great David Bowie and plenty of political references and attacks on President Donald Trump — some much more overt than others.

However, music’s biggest night was steady with past years in the early ratings, drawing a 16.0/26 in metered market ratings.

On a night where only Fox ran originals on the Big 4 nets, that’s a mere 1% dip in the ratings and a small rise in share from last year when the LL Cool J-hosted show ran on a competitive Monday (February 15, 2016). Compared to the last time the Grammys were on a Sunday, last night’s 8-11:45 PM ET show declined 4% from the LL Cool J-hosted 2015 broadcast in the early ratings and stayed even in the share. To further the linkage of the Sunday broadcasts, both last night’s Grammys and the 2015 Grammys faced the midseason return of blockbuster The Walking Dead over on AMC.

The 57^th annual Grammys of February 8, 2015 went on to hit a final note of 25.3 million viewers and an 8.5 rating among adults 18-49 – at the time the lowest result for the show since 2009. The Taylor Swift-dominated 2016 Grammys took that low away from its predecessor when it came in with a final tally of 24.95 million viewers and a 7.7 rating. With last night’s show so close to those broadcasts in the MM results, the ratings notes, so to speak, could see repeat performances.

Over all of Sunday’s primetime, CBS pulled in a 13.9/23 in MM ratings. That’s down 7% from what the House of Moonves drew the last time the Grammys were on a Sunday back in 2015, but still more than double what its broadcast rivals drew all together.

We’ll update with more Grammy numbers as we get them later this morning.

UPDATE, 8:35 AM: An Album of the Year win last night by Adele made the 2017 Grammy Awards look a lot like music’s biggest night in 2012 when the 25 singer won the big prize for her 21 album. In unadjusted fast affiliate ratings the James Corden hosted show on CBS is looking a lot like 2016 with a 7.3/22 results among adults 18-49.

Held on a Monday, the 58^th annual Grammys snared a 7.4/22 in the 8 – 11 PM ET slot last year. That went up to a 7.7 rating in the final numbers with total viewership of 24.95 million. However, when you compared the 59^th annual Grammys to the last time the show was on a Sunday – the difference is striking.

Last night’s show was down 17% from the 57^th annual Grammys of February 8, 2015 in fast affiliate results. That show of two-years ago ended up with an 8.5 rating and an audience of 25.3 million.

Final numbers for the 8 – 11:45 PM ET running 2017 Grammys are expected later this morning.

While the Season 7 winter return of The Walking Dead was on AMC and the final season premiere of Girls was on HBO last night, there wasn’t much competition for the Grammys on the Big 4. Only Fox ran anything like a full slate of originals last night and The Simpsons (1.0/3), Son of Zorn (0.6/2), Family Guy (0.9/3) and Bob’s Burgers (0.8/3) all fell to not unexpected season lows. NBC had a Dateline NBC (0.8/3) at 10 PM and ABC had a new America’s Funniest Home Videos (1.2/3) at 7 PM – which the latter rising 71% in the key demo from its last original of January 15 and matching a season high.