TV Ratings: Grammys Eye Lows, While 60 Minutes Tops Sunday in Viewers

Matt Webb Mitovich
·2 min read

In the latest TV show ratings, CBS’ broadcast of this year’s Grammy Awards took an expected downturn, as all awards shows have in recent times.

With a preliminary audience of 7.9 million and a 1.9 demo rating, the Sunday night kudoscast is on pace to report (by my math) about 9 million total viewers and a 2.2 rating once Nielsen finals trickle in later on.

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Despite a vibrant and socially distanced but refreshingly non-virtual production, plus Beyonce making some history, those numbers would mark a decline of 50 and 60 percent from last year’s pre-pandemic gala, to all-time lows. (The 2020 Grammys held the previous demo low of 5.4, while the 2006 telecast had delivered the smallest audience: 17 million.)

Among the performances we polled, TVLine readers gave Harry Styles, Taylor Swift and BTS average grades of “A+,” Billie Eilish averaged an “A,” and Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” drew a “C.”

CBS’ 60 Minutes, meanwhile, thus far lays claim to Sunday’s largest audience, with 8.8 million (pending the official Grammy finals).

Elsewhere:

ABC | AFV (4.8 mil/0.6) dipped, while American Idol (5.4 mil/0.8, read recap) and Millionaire (2.9 mil/0.4) were steady.

THE CW | Batwoman (593K/0.1) and Charmed (389K/0.1) both added eyeballs while steady in the demo.

NBC | Ellen’s Game of Games (1.7 mil/0.3) was steady, while Good Girls (1.47 mil/0.3, read recap) hit and tied series lows.

FOX | Cherries Wild (1.6 mil/0.4) ticked up, while everything else was steady. #Lazy

The Live+Same Day numbers reported in our ratings column do not reflect a show’s overall performance, given the increased use of delayed playback via DVR and streaming platforms, plus out-of-home viewing. These numbers (Nielsen fast nationals, unless denoted as finals) instead aim to simply illustrate trends or superlatives. Kids, ask parents before calling.

Want scoop on any of the above shows? Email InsideLine@tvline.com and your question may be answered via Matt’s Inside Line.

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