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Not even a collection of stage-blazing performances from the likes of Nicki Minaj, Jennifer Lopez, Ariana Grande, and more were enough to help this year’s MTV VMAs drum up some respectable viewership figures. After netting their lowest ratings ever with the 2017 showing (click here for details), the hopes were probably a bit higher for this year’s.
Preliminary figures revealed after the show’s first airing offered a bleak outlook, one confirmed by today’s final figures that indicate the 2018 edition of the MTV VMAs were their lowest rated in history.
Details inside:
The 2018 MTV Video Music Awards drew the fewest viewers in the show’s history, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The program, which broadcasted live from New York’s Radio City Music Hall, got 4.87 million viewers and a 2.2 rating among adults aged 18-49, across eight Viacom-owned channels. (Just 2.25 million of those viewers came from people watching on MTV.)
For comparison, the 2017 VMAs—previously the worst-rated in history—drew 5.36 million viewers and a 2.6 rating. Lower yet were the ratings of teens and young adults: From ages 18-34, the rating dropped from 2.2 to 1.2. [source]