Looks like the CMT Awards are making a comeback.
For the first time ever, the CMT Music Awards aired on CBS and the Paramount+ network on Monday night, wracking up 5.16 million viewers, which is up a staggering 521% from last year’s show, according to Variety.
Granted, nobody watched it last year, and you’d expect to see a big spike moving to a major network, but still, sounds like a success for the CMT Awards.
The 5.16 million viewer rating accounts for both linear ratings on CBA, and live streams via television sets for Paramount Plus and other digital CBS platforms. CBS is currently projecting a final viewership of 5.5 million.
For comparison, the 2o21 CMA Awards brought in a record low 6.5 million, and the Grammys came in at 8.9 million views on CBS earlier this month. The ACMs brought in 6.28 million for CBS in 2021, another record low, however, they moved to Amazon Prime for the 2022 ceremony so we have no idea how many viewers they got (I’m thinking not many).
Across other networks American Idol was right behind with 5.31 million, and Fox’s 911 brought in 5.06 million viewers.
A Paramount spokesperson said on Tuesday:
“For the first time ever, the CMT Awards aired live on CBS and Paramount Plus to record success, showcasing our linear and streaming partnership and enabling us to welcome more incredible fans to celebrate the best of country music.
One of our goals at Paramount is to maximize our biggest awards shows, including the Grammys and Tonys, and this collaboration is another win for our company, providing a terrific opportunity to amplify the CMT brand through broader distribution.”
The CMT Awards will return to their cable channel on Friday, debuting the “CMT Awards Extended Cut,” which includes an added 30 minutes of new performances and extra bonus content, airing Friday from 8-11:30 PM ET.
I mean, when CoJo is winning and performing… I guess they’re doing something right.
