The Sunday telecast of the music-awarding event draws viewers 50 percent more than last year, while the midseason premiere of the AMC horror series sets basic cable drama record in key demo.
- February 14, 2012
AceShowbiz -
CBS enjoyed big ratings on Sunday, February 12 with the 54th Annual Grammy Awards. Aired a day after Whitney Houston's death, the show which saw some tributes to the late singer delivered the second largest audience ever with 39.9 million viewers, or up 50|percent| from last year.
In the adults 18-49 demographic, the music-awarding event hosted by LL Cool J drew a 14.1/32, or up 41|percent| from last year. Placed behind the 1984 Grammys (43.8 million) in audience number, the Sunday telecast matched the show's best adults 18-49 delivery since 1990.
On TV cable, meanwhile, AMC's "The Walking Dead" returned with record ratings. The midseason premiere of the horror show's second season drew 8.1 million total viewers, 5.4 million viewers in adults 18-49, and 4.4 million viewers in adults 25-54.
The episode titled "Nebraska" topped the 90-minute premiere of season 2 in October, which lured in 7.3 million viewers and previously held the records in 18-49 demo (4.8 million) and 25-54 demo (4.2 million).
Commenting on the "Walking Dead" strong return, AMC president Charlie Collier saw it as "a great night for AMC," which also debuted new series "Comic Book Men" on the same night. "We're thrilled to see this incredible record breaking response to 'The Walking Dead', and 'Comic Book Men' is off to a strong start as well," he additionally stated.
The new unscripted series executive produced by Kevin Smith scored 2 million total viewers and a 1.3 household rating.
