TV Ratings: ACM Awards Hit All-Time Low

CBS’ coverage of the 56th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, which saw Luke Bryan named Entertainer of the Year during Sunday’s hybrid ceremony, drew a 0.8 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic and 6.08 million viewers in early Nielsen Live+Same Day numbers, marking the lowest-rated and least watched ACM Awards to date.   But Deadline reports the show still topped all of broadcast in the demo and drew larger audience than its network competitors combined.

The three-hour telecast hosted by Keith Urban and Mickey Guyton and spanning the Grand Ole Opry and Nashville locations from the Ryman to the Bluebird Cafe was off from last year’s 6.60 million viewers and 1.0 rating in comparable data; that show itself was down six tenths in the demo from 2019.

Along with the night’s most watched program 60 Minutes (0.6, 8.17M) at 7 p.m., the ACM Awards helped CBS finish No. 1 among all broadcasters in both the demo and viewers.

ABC finished second overall in the demo and viewers led by its two-hour American Idol (0.7, 4.64M), which coincidently featured Luke Bryan’s return as judge after missing last week’s show due to a Covid-19 diagnosis.