Grammy Ratings Best Since 2001

NEW YORK — The Grammys hit a high note in the ratings Sunday night, drawing the show's biggest TV audience in a decade.

Preliminary Nielsen figures Monday show the CBS broadcast attracted 26.6 million viewers, improving on year's robust audience by 680,000 viewers.

"The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards" was also up by 3 percent in households over last year's broadcast, and dominated its network rivals on Sunday.

ABC took the runner-up position for the evening, with NBC and Fox roughly neck-and-neck for third place.

Final Nielsen ratings figures are expected Tuesday.

Comments

[Sam Kestu]

11:09 PM on 03/02/2011

The Grammys stumbled this year by nominating Buju Banton, real name Mark Myrie, for Best Reggae Album, an award that he won.

Buju Banton has a lengthy history of calling for the death of LGBT people both in an infamous song, "Boom Bye Bye," and in comments from the stage during performances.

You can read about Buju Banton's extensive anti LGBT history here http://bit.ly/dhQ0VC

The day after winning his first Grammy, Buju Banton was retried on federal drug conspiracy-related charges. On February 22nd, 2011, Mark Myrie, aka "Buju Banton," was found guilty on three charges: conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and using a telephone to commit a drug offense.

Buju Banton is currently in U.S. federal custody and is awaiting sentencing.

[tcnsrq]

08:37 PM on 02/17/2011

Gaga and Jaggers performances were really great

[GaryNOVA]

06:42 PM on 02/17/2011

That's weird because this is the first time I've watched in in about 10 years. The only reason I watched it this year is because Arcade Fire was performing.

[Hopalongpoppyseed]

12:18 PM on 02/17/2011

It would be interesting to know the demographics for the Grammys. I'll bet the largest group watching is under 18 and mostly girls who should have been doing their homework.

[R U Sirius]

11:01 AM on 02/17/2011

Oops. That was H.L. Mencken. P.T. Barnum was reputed to have said "There's a sucker born every minute." Either one says it nicely.

[R U Sirius]

10:58 AM on 02/17/2011

"No one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public." ~P.T. Barnum

[Dave4ObamaSinceDay1]

02:14 AM on 02/17/2011

It had to be the egg that did it....

[jcarterla]

05:58 PM on 02/16/2011

I get GaGa is an artist. I can get the egg during her performance. Arriving in the egg was a bit much.

[bradenton]

01:01 PM on 02/16/2011

It's because of the Lady, Gaga.

[LittleSanityLeft]

02:26 AM on 02/16/2011

The Bieber effect, me thinks.

[pollie-graff]

07:49 PM on 02/15/2011

Mick Jagger and Babs, the best.

[oldgeek1]

06:49 PM on 02/15/2011

Gaga knows what sells

[sensimilla]

06:17 PM on 02/15/2011

yep and the Follies were big during the "first" Great Depression. Folks are looking for distractions away from their gawd awful lives..

[Monday Morning]

05:12 PM on 02/15/2011

There wasn't many strong talent performing at the Grammy's on Sunday...the people who sang really didn't have much range in their voices...they tried,but it all came out like screaming in the end.

[RonNYC]

02:47 PM on 02/15/2011

The show was great. I usually don't watch it. I am not into the singers and bands usually. I was very pleased that there was such good artists on the show, although it was way to long.