MTV VMAs Sees 14.5% Jump In Total Minutes Consumed

Karol G and Vanguard Award winner Shakira at the 2023 VMAs (Image credit: MTV)

MTV’s 2023 Video Music Awards generated 1.82 billion total minutes consumed, the most ever, up 14.5% from last year.

MTV and parent company Paramount Global simulcast the VMAs across 13 networks Tuesday night to maximize viewing.

The telecast drew 3.92 million total viewers across the night and registered increases in all demos, including a 54% increase among young people 18 to 34.

The VMAs were also streaming on Paramount Plus starting Wednesday. Those viewers are not included in these figures.

On MTV alone, the VMA’s ratings were the highest since 2019 among people 18 to 34, up 118% from last year. Among all viewers, MTV was up 37%.

The VMAs generated 45 million social media interactions, according to SCR. That made it the No.1 entertainment show in the U.S. for the past year.

The 2023 VMA were televised live from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. and hosted by Nicki Minaj, who also performed. Highlights included Taylor Swift accepting nine awards and a reunion of boy band Nsync.

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.