Sour Note For The Grammys As TV Ratings Dive

Grammys Host James Corden

The U.S. television audience for Sunday’s Grammy Awards on CBS Corp. fell by more than six million viewers, CBS said on Monday, after a show criticized for political jibes and wins for Bruno Mars at the expense of innovative rapper Kendrick Lamar. reports Reuters.

Citing Nielsen data, CBS said 19.8 million Americans tuned in for the three and a half hour broadcast, from 2017 when 26.1 million people watched on television. The lowest audience for any Grammy Awards show was in 2006, which drew an audience of 17 million.

Sunday’s 60th anniversary Grammy Awards, staged in New York over three and a half hours, saw R&B singer Mars win the top three prizes - album, record and song of the year - and three other statuettes. Lamar won five and veteran rapper Jay-Z, who had gone into the show with eight nominations, won nothing.

The show got generally poor reviews. USA Today called the Grammy Awards an “out of touch embarrassment” while host James Corden was criticized on social media for lame jokes and a lackluster performance.

Some of music’s biggest stars, including Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and Beyonce were either not nominated or did not perform, and some of the digs at U.S. President Donald Trump and his policies appeared to have turned some viewers off.

"The 60th Grammy Awards" pulled in $81.1 million in national TV revenue, according to one initial estimate from iSpot.tv. A year ago, the "Grammys Awards" in 2017 posted $81.4 million.

Big TV advertisers this year include Target ($7.8 million), Lincoln Mercury ($5.8 million), Google Phones ($3.9 million), Uber ($3.9 million) and Warner Bros ($3.5 million). A year ago, top advertisers included Target, Lincoln Mercury, Google Phones, Mastercard, Adidas and Walt Disney Pictures.

Industry estimates were that CBS was seeking $1 million for a 30-second commercial for this year’s “Grammy Awards.”