Is Bieber responsible for this?
Or, were the 2010 AMAs just too uninspired, and too regurgitated for audiences this time around? Whatever the reason, the AMAs clocked its worst ratings result in history, based on a viewer crowd of 11.6 million and a preliminary 4.3 rating among 18-49s.
Across the fence from ABC, NBC was enjoying a record crowd for its Sunday Night Football match-up. Looks like the jocks won, but not among teenagers. According to ABC, the AMAs gained 12 percent among teenagers and 19 percent among 2-11s. Unfortunately, everyone else was scrambling for the remote.
Which raises the question of whether or not big, mainstream-oriented shows have the muscle to command serious audiences anymore. Bieber’s accolades were based on viewer votes, but uninspired medleys from Bon Jovi and introspective schlock from Diddy were hardly helping.
Anyway, there are 364 days to figure something else out. And please, don’t blame football for this mess.
Report by Alexandra Osorio.