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The Grammys numbers are in, and it’s music to CBS’ ears.
Despite linear TV trending down almost across the board outside of sports, CBS’ defied the numbers once again with Sunday’s broadcast of the 2024 Grammys. Viewership was up 34% from last year on the night, averaging 16.9 million viewers, the largest Grammys audience since 2020.
Thanks to the likes of Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish, SZA and Tracy Chapman, who performed on stage for the first time in years, viewership held steady throughout the night for the 66th annual awards ceremony, peaking with 18.25 million viewers during an in-memoriam segment with performances by Stevie Wonder, Annie Lennox, Jon Batiste and Fantasia Barrino.
Meanwhile, streaming TV was also going strong. On Paramount+, live viewership for the Grammys hit its highest ever, up +173% from last year.
According to CBS, the show was the No. 1 ranking social entertainment event of 2024, pulling in around 62.6 billion potential social impressions and trending in the top 10 in the U.S. for 12 hours.
The strong numbers build on the success of the 65th Grammys, which brought in around 12.5 million average viewers on CBS, a 30% year-over-year increase at the time.
Though other high-profile award shows, such as the Emmys, continue to struggle on linear, the ratings are just another win for CBS.
In addition to the Grammys, the network recently had a revamped version of the Golden Globes hitting a 4-year high despite lackluster reviews.
The ratings win will give the network momentum as it heads into Super Bowl 58 this weekend, which is expected to be the most-viewed Super Bowl of all time. And not just because of the Taylor Swift bump.
Ad sales levitating
CBS had early indicators that good numbers were on the way for the Grammys thanks to strong ad sales.
ADWEEK learned that a powerful lineup of performers such as Dua Lipa and Olivia Rodrigo led to pricing being up with strong year-over-year increases.
Overall, the company continues to place a lot of importance on live tentpole events, with Paramount ad sales chief John Halley recently telling ADWEEK, “It’s an incredibly important formula for brand impact.”
