RELATED: BC Review: The 2010 MTV Video Music Awards
Lady Gaga, Kanye West
and Taylor Swift helped Sunday's MTV Video
Music Awards show to its best performance in eight years.
The annual event averaged 11.4 million viewers, marking the best performance of
any VMA show since the 2002 telecast
drew 11.9 million viewers, according to network officials. The show -- in which
pop star Lady Gaga won three "moon man" statuettes during a ceremony
that also featured musical performances by Justin Beiber, Kanye West, Eminem
and Taylor Swift -- is now the third-most watched telecast in MTV history.
Last year's VMA
telecast drew 8.9 million viewers.
The show, hosted by
talk show personality Chelsea Handler, also drew 7.9 million viewers among the
network's target 12 to 34 year old demographic - tying the 2002 VMAs as the most watched show in the
demo and generating a 33% increase above last year's performance, the network
said.
"Every
year, MTV celebrates the music and creative genius of artists
we have the privilege of working with all year long," said
Van Toffler, president of the MTV Networks Music & Logo Group. "Last
night's luminescent VMA setting provided the perfect backdrop to do
just that and we're thrilled the audience resoundingly
agreed."
In addition, the premiere of MTV reality series World of Jenks drew 4.8 million viewers, marking the network's
highest-rated MTV series launch ever, according to MTV officials.
VMA Viewership Over
The Years
Year
Total Viewers
P 12-34
2002 11.9
million
7.9 million
2003 10.7
million
6.9 million
2004 10
million
6.8 million
200 5.8
million
5.4 million
2006 5.7
million
3.8 million
200 7.7
million
4.9 million
2008 8.4
million
5.7 million
2009 8.9
million
5.8 million
2010 11.4
million
7.9 million
Source: Disney-ABC Television Group analysis of Nielsen data
