Grammy viewership jumps on night Taylor Swift sets record

Audiences dwindled even more during the constrained awards shows put on during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sunday's Grammy tally is close to last year's audience for the Academy Awards, which drew about 18.7 million viewers.

Taylor Swift's record-setting night at the Grammys drew the largest audience for music's highest honors since a pre-pandemic show in 2020, broadcaster CBS said on Monday. Television viewership averaged roughly 16.9 million people for the three-hour-plus ceremony shown live from Los Angeles, according to Nielsen data released by CBS. That was a 34% jump from last year.

Swift made history during Sunday's telecast, winning an unprecedented fourth Album of the Year award with her pop record "Midnights," and women swept the major awards. Swift also used the occasion to announce a new album. TV viewership for traditional television, and entertainment award shows in particular, has been on the decline in recent years as viewers shift to streaming. Audiences dwindled even more during the constrained awards shows put on during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sunday's Grammy tally is close to last year's audience for the Academy Awards, which drew about 18.7 million viewers. The largest audience on U.S. television every year is the Super Bowl football championship, which typically draws around 100 million viewers.

CBS said live streaming viewership of the Grammys hit a record on Paramount+, jumping 173% from a year ago, but it did not provide the size of the streaming audience.

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