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2ND UPDATE: In the final Live+Same Day ratings, the audience for last night’s Grammy Awards climbed to 39.91 million, still the second largest ever behind the 1984 show, up 50% from last year. The adults 18-49 average was adjusted down to a 14.1/32, up 41% from last year.
UPDATE: With its timing, exactly 24 hours after the news of Whitney Houston’s death, the Grammy Awards were poised to draw a huge audience on CBS. And they did. The show averaged 39 million viewers, the second most watched Grammy telecast ever, behind only the 1984 show (43.8 million). Vs. last year, when the Grammy posted their largest viewership in a decade, the awards show was up an remarkable 46%. Among adults 18-49 (14.4/32), it was up 44%, matching its best result since 1990. The ceremony included numerous references to Houston’s death, including a prayer read by host LL Cool J and a tribute performance of “I Will Always Love You” by Jennifer Hudson. Adele was the big winner of the night with six gramophones, including the top awards for record and album of the year, and delivered her first performance since her throat surgery. The other network stayed mostly out of the way with the exception of ABC. Its America’s Funniest Home Videos (2.0/5 in 18-49) was actually up 5% from 2 weeks ago. But Once Upon A Time (3.0/7), Desperate Housewives (1.8/4) and Pan Am (0.7/2), which faced directly the Grammys, were all sharply down, by 14%, 31% and 42%, respectively. Desperate Housewives and Pan Am posted series lows. NBC’s Dateline (1.6/4) was up 33% from 5 weeks ago. A special (and possibly final for this incarnation on NBC, following the donkey semen stunt debacle) Fear Factor (1.5/3), which was put on so Celebrity Apprentice doesn’t launch against the Grammys, was down 35% from its last Monday original.
PREVIOUS: According to overnight ratings from 56 markets, the Grammys averaged a 25.2 household rating/38 share, up 45% from last year, which could translate into the largest viewership in some 2 decades.
TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.
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Yup, most everyone tuned in see how Whitney Houston would be memorialized. The Grammys really dropped the ball.
Yes, it’s tough to put on a musical tribute in less than 24 hours, but they could’ve at least put together a video montage retrospective of Whitney’s career and then finish with Jennifer Hudson singing the FULL version of I Will Always Love You.
And in a year where we lost Amy Winehouse, Etta James, Clarence Clemons, Heavy D, and now Whitney Houston, the grammys should’ve cut back on the many, many musical performances (they barely gave out awards on-air this year) and spent some time honoring those we lost. The ‘in memorium’ suite, with 3 performers on a single card at a time, was confusing and rushed.
What the hell was that Nick Minaj crap performance about anyway?
Its was good to see the Beach Boys, Paul McCartney and Glenn Campbell & am happy to see Adele aptly rewarded, but I still thought the Grammys were a fail.
Yes, that was a disappointing tribute. I was thinking how lucky Jennifer Hudson was and how many more people will now know who she is. She was amazing but I couldn’t believe there was no montage/video clips shown of Whitney.
ABC obviously thought they had a great show built and even the death of WHITNEY HOUSTON affected the show no more than a lengthy acceptance speech. Whitney was the reason why thousands, maybe millions more tuned in and any mishaps would’ve been forgiven viewers.
Wonder if any performers gave up their spot or were willing to give up their spot… hmmmm I don’t know… $$$
ABC really is desperate to destroy its shows. They don’t air new episodes for a month at a time and then wonder why the ratings are in the toilet when they do bother to air an episode. It’s been over a month since I’ve seen an episode of Body of Proof and in fact missed the last episode they aired because I didn’t even know they’d tossed viewers a bone and aired one for a change.
In regard to Desperate Housewives, I thought Marc Cherry might up his game considering these are the final episodes of the series but it really has been a terrible season and the only reason I’m continuing to watch it is because I’m a completist. Otherwise I’d have stopped watching long ago. The only one on the show who’s trying to even act is Teri Hatcher. The rest are coasting and it shows.
Pan Am is finished after next week’s series finale as ABC screwed up the episode order. Last night’s episode was supposed to air in November as that was Episode #7 that aired and not #13. The story arc went backwards instead of forwards and yet another indication of how ABC is slowly killing this show and Ricci’s horrific acting is just getting even more annoying with each passing episode. I truly wanted to like this series but after next week’s finale, I admit I’m not sorry to see it go. NBC sucks as usual. I mean come on..Fear Factor? If you guys at NBC are stupid enough to bring that show back for a little while, then bring Las Vegas back for the three episodes we fans are still owed from that stupid writers’ strike from a few years ago, as this month marks the three year anniversary when it was unjustly canceled by those idiots under Zuckewad’s regime. Bring us a conclusion, will you?!
I kept thinking all throughout the 3 1/2 hours how good the many different performers and their performances were. What a great Show. There was something for everyone…..excellent renditions and tributes for both the Beach Boys reunion and Glen Campbell. Paul McCartney looked and acted 20 years younger and more than held his own with all of the 20 somethings onstage. Jennifer Hudson’s tribute song to Whitney was glorious, but at certain notes I really saw and heard (in my memory) how truly awesome and untouchable Whitney’s voice was. LL Cool J was just the right host for this once in a lifetime program.
Thanks for your comment Jeffrey. Ms. Hudson did a wonderful job, imbuing her rendition with real emotion and striking skill. But I couldn’t help but think as a long-time Whitney fan how easy it is for people to forget what a staggering talent she was when watching someone else trying to deliver a song she put her trademark stamp upon.
The perfect awards show ratings gambit — exactly 24 hourse before broadcast industry picks one of the following stars: tragic, out-of-control, too-young, too misunderstood, too-talented-for-own-good, too-good-for-own-talent to be sacrificed in senseless accidental death/suicide/car accident/motorcycle leap. We mourn, we cry, we beg for more. Works for me.
The Times obit alluded to it. The pressure for Whitney Houston to not be herself and to be “black” – whatever that means – derailed her life. She was an M-O-R star who ALL of America loved – until she succumbed to a culture of separatism when the perception of her changed completely. It wasn’t her; it wasn’t her heart; it isn’t her family. Everything about her started to change when that started to happen; once a role model – I hope all African Americans recognize the real cautionary tale here. “Rednecks” and “whiteness” share the same problem.
Or maybe she simply had her own personal issues.
Or maybe she had trouble dealing with being the most famous singer in the world.
Or maybe she struggled with: once being the most famous singer in the world, her divorce…
Being famous is one thing, being famous and actually being talented is another. Stars/artists are some of the loneliest people. You could be right but IMO, race has nothing to do with it. It’s simply being a star- Amy, Britney, Lindsey, Brando, Michael, the list goes on and on. Let’s not take this as an opportunity to take a jab at African Americans because it’s obvious you have some sort of issue there.
One thing we’ll always remember about Whitney is that when you can really sing, all you need is a mike. Bravo, Jennifer Hudson. And Adele. Adam Levine? Eh. Too much swagger for that thin nasal voice. Niki Minaj? Wha wha? All style and no substance… and waaaay too long. Chris Brown? Great set, good dancer, lousy singer. His opening on that song was weak weak weak.
Dorothy, I totally agree with you-I have no idea what the execs at abc are thinking-,or,even if they are thinking at all. Was very,very stupid airing new episodes of their programs up against the Grammys-especially knowing even more people would tune in to the awards because of the news about Whitney. IMHO:Parts of the abc lineup are currently on a downward spiral. If they think a piece of s#*t such as The River is going to change that,the programmers at abc are dreaming. Abc needs to come up with more intelligent programs such as “Modern Family”. Thank you.
I’m sure the CBS Exec are all trying to figure out who they can convince to take a bath the day before next years broadcast.
ha ha so true and so sad but so true..that is ‘business’ for you…
Hey CBS the same network who had the most watched premiere of a tv show in these last years with Two and a Half Men this fall..they really make money and business with stars personal lives..
Rip Whitney
Go Bruce. Awesome way to open the show. Wished Sir Paul allowed more singing with him at the end.
Jennifer Hudson wasn’t a fitting choice to do a Whitney Houston tribute. What has Hudson contributed besides a lackluster film career and American Idol? She’s nowhere near what Houston accomplished. Adele would’ve been appropriate because she’s actually had multiple number one hits! That’s much more of an accomplishment then Jennifer Hudson.
She won an oscar.
And of course she is not and never will be Whitney Houston, like Whitney was not Aretha (both unique in their own ways but Aretha is maybe another level again, in the same category as a Billy Hollyday imo..) ..but come on it was at least bearable, it could have been some Beyonce, Rianna and others limited ‘talents’ like that..so it could have much much worse.