The 2013 MTV Video Music Awards delivered 10.1 million total viewers on Sunday at 9 p.m., an increase of 66% over last year’s telecast, which was on a Thursday.
Compared to its last Sunday show, the 2013 awards were down 19% from 2011’s record audience of 12.4 million viewers. In the network’s key persons 12-34 demo, the VMAs garnered a 7.8 rating, up 47% from last year and ranking it as the top entertainment cable telecast amongthat demo in 2013.
Its encore telecast drew 2.8 million total viewers and the pre-show averaged 4.6 million total viewers and a 3.6 rating, up 119% and 100%, respectively.
This year’s VMAs, which was the first ever awards show to be broadcast from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, also set a new Twitter record of 306,000 tweets per minute for Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke’s medley, which sparked outrage for Cyrus’ provocative dancing.
MTV on Tuesday also cited sales and social spikes for VMA performers and nominees. Justin Timberlake, for example, saw an 1,876% increase in sales, the network said, and his reunited band ‘NSYNC saw sales rise by 156%. Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke also had chart gains over their much-publicized performance.
A second airing of the VMA telecast on Monday night generated 2.1 million viewers, good for a 1.32 rating in the persons ages 12-34 demographic, according to Nielsen.
