The Grammys bucks the latest trends and scores high

The Grammys bring in the numbers!

Although other awards ceremonies, such as The Critics Choice Awards, saw ratings declines, the 65th Annual Grammy Awards reached new highs in ratings and popularity. It also secured Beyoncé’s record-breaking 32nd trophy in her decades-long career.

The 2023 Grammy Awards could enjoy a 30% increase in viewership during Sunday night’s broadcast

This year’s ratings would undoubtedly give CBS a spring in its step, given the numbers for Sunday night’s telecast of the Grammys. The ceremony drew an estimated 12.4 million total viewers, a 30% increase over last year’s event, which reached about 9.6 million viewers based on later-week ratings.

With these early numbers, the Grammy Awards not only became the most-watched show of the night, but also had the largest audience at the ceremony since 2020. Likewise, the ceremony recorded the largest live broadcast audience on Paramount Plus and other CBS platforms, down 33% from last year.

Species further noted that the telecast reached 66 billion potential online impressions, making it the “#1 social entertainment event of 2023,” according to CBS. To date, 53 million social music videos of the show have been consumed across Paramount and CBS’ various platforms.

In the middle of the record-breaking ratings, the night’s Big Four awards at the 2023 Grammy Awards were presented to a range of artists. While Harry Styles’ “Harry’s House” won Album of the Year, Bonnie Raitt’s “Just Like That” won Song of the Year and Lizzo’s “About Damn Time” won Record of the Year.

Jazz singer Samara Joy was not left behind, as she received the award for the best new artist. Despite losing to Lizzo, Raitt and Styles, Beyoncé won four awards and became the most in the Grammys’ six-decade history with 32 nods.

The “Love on Top” hitmaker walked home with nods for Best Dance/Electronic Recording, Dance/Electronic Album, R&B Performance and Best R&B Song. His wins tied him with Christian group Maverick City Music, and Raitt, Kendrick Lamar and Brandi Carlile each finished with three Grammys.

While Adele earned seven nominations, only one for pop performance, Taylor Swift won for best music video after four nominations. Mary J. Blige, who earned seven nominations, walked away empty-handed.

Threepeat host and comedian Trevor Noah emceed the ceremony and was electrified by performances from Bad Bunny, Queen Latifah, Lil Wayne, GloRilla, Sam Smith, Jay-Z, John Legend, Rick Ross and DJ Khaled.

The CW and NBC received low ratings for their respective awards shows

When the CW aired the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards in January, early ratings showed just 900,000 viewers — a low number for a glamorous ceremony. However, The Blast shared this the low numbers appeared to be in line with last year’s ratings, which saw just 1.1 million viewers tune in for the ceremony despite simulcasting it on The CW and TNT.

The drop in ratings is similar to NBC, which drew just 6.3 million viewers when it aired the Golden Globes on Tuesday, January 11. This number represents a 26% decrease from last year’s 6.9 million.

The award ceremony also registered an advertising rating of 1.1, which represents a 9% decrease compared to 2021. Amid the near-record low, NBC executives said the Globes were “the most social event of the entire television season (linear and streaming), both in terms of social engagement and social video views.”

Considering these numbers, fans are expecting next year’s show to be worse, given the controversies of the show’s organizers over the past few years. In case you missed it, it was alleged that members of The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) engaged in fraudulent financial practices while lacking diversity and representation in the black community.

The accusations were so strong that instead of holding the annual first-class ceremony, the nonprofit group hosted a private event last year, barring celebrity nominees.

Hopefully, with the help of its recently appointed president, Helen Hoehne, the HFPA will get its ducks in a row before next year’s ceremony. Since his appointment, Hoehne has publicly addressed the allegations against the organization and announced some reforms.