The presence of music stars past and present helped boost viewership for the CBS telecast of the 66th Grammy Awards.
Sunday's ceremony held at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles and hosted by Trevor Noah averaged 16.9 million viewers and will likely surpass 17 million once away viewers are added to the final number broadcast by Nielsen.
Viewership is 34% higher than last year and the largest since the 2020 Grammys, which were held just before the COVID-19 pandemic appeared to send ratings for live television awards shows off a cliff.
The Grammys are the second major awards show this year to see a big spike in ratings. The revitalized Golden Globe Awards, also on CBS, saw a 50% viewership increase over last year, although viewership was still substantially lower than in 2019.
Live awards shows have come under fire in recent years, as young viewers tend to prefer them in short clips on social media rather than a three-hour-plus broadcast on linear television. Pandemic precautions that required masks and social distancing made the logistics of the shows difficult, causing ratings to fall to record lows in 2021.
The 66th Grammy Awards featured pop superstar Taylor Swift, who did not perform but took the stage to accept two Grammy trophies for “Midnights.” She became the first artist to win album of the year four times, beating artists such as Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon.
But the night was filled with legends whose performances generated massive conversations on social media, including Tracy Chapman's duet on her 1988 classic “Fast Car” with country star Luke Combs, who was a hit again last year.
Joni Mitchell, now 80, wowed the crowd with her regal appearance while performing her classic song “Both Sides Now.”
Singer Celine Dion appeared to give Swift her album of the year award. Dion has rarely been seen in public since she was diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder, in 2022.
Billy Joel ended the show with his first new song in 30 years. A star-studded In Memoriam tribute included Stevie Wonder and Annie Lennox.
Top performers included Miley Cyrus, who won record of the year for “Flowers,” SZA, Billie Eilish and Dua Lipa.
