MTV Awards Suffer Big Hit in Ratings (Dinosaur Media DeathWatch™)

Broadcasting & Cable ^ | 9/1/2006 | Anne Becker

[Milhous]

The downward spiral of the MTV Video Music Awards' TV performance continued Thursday night as the ceremony's audience plunged from last year and VMA fans headed online.

The show, once a ratings juggernaut for MTV, pulled in an average of just 5.77 million total viewers over its three hour telecast starting at 8 p.m., down 28% from the 8 million viewers it averaged last year, according to preliminary data from Nielsen Media Research. Just two years ago, the show brought in nearly double last night's audience-10.3 million viewers.

While still about five times what MTV has averaged in primetime this summer, the show's TV audience last night is a shadow of the 12 million viewers it once earned. The numbers have to be frustrating for MTV executives who moved the show back to its former home, New York City, after last year's poor showing in Miami.

With digital media, including video-heavy Internet sites, competing for its core young audience, MTV has struggled to maintain its status as the coolest place for youth. Last night's show was widely criticized for being dull and lacking the sort of buzz-worthy moments of VMAs past.

The show averaged a 5.21 share with MTV's target audience of viewers 12-34, the network says. Illustrating that that audience is preferring to spend time online these days, MTV's broadband video site Overdrive saw its highest day of traffic ever yesterday with 3.9 million streams, up more than 200% over last year. MTV programmed the site, as well as its digital cable channels and other multimedia platforms, with more VMA extras than ever this year.

[ansel12]

" Conservatives don't nag, we just GUIDE"


At least the lines aren't as clear as they used to be (for the young).

It was only, not too many years ago where the Republicans were successfully portrayed by the media as the party of old men with 5 o'clock shadow, and blue haired old ladies.

Because of the expanded media, the division about youthfulness and good looks between the two parties may even lean Republican.

[earglasses]

BIG PICTURE time: Let's set aside all the usual politocentric interpretations of all events typically found on this site, and consider the awesome fact that the basic musical paradigm of Western musical development has shifted with metronomic regularity every 500 years, for as long as we have records (not recordings, obviously).

We are now at the end of the line, creatively, awaiting the cultural crisis that will produce the foundations for the music of the next millenium.

[Fish_Keeper]

I saw a bit of the taped airing today and it was virtually unwatchable. MTV suffers from the stupid belief that they have to give gangster rap/hip-hop junk equal time with real musical performers. About half the portion that I saw was rappers weighted down with about 50 gold chains jumping around on stage delivering incoherent performances. Reminded me why I haven't watched MTV at all for the past 15 years or so.

[lmr]

I agree. Though, the "gangstas" back in the Eighties used to consist mostly of LL Cool J, Run DMC, The Fat Boys and in the later 80's... Ice-T and NWA. I have some fond memories of those days, and they included each and everyone of those people. These days, I just don't get it.

[Fish_Keeper]

Yeah. I don't consider the earlier rappers that you mentioned to be "gangsta" (Run DMC, LL, etc). IMO, the whole genre started going downhill with the all the hundreds of rappers trying to imitate NWA and Ice-T. Today, it doesn't interest me at all anymore. At some point, it just got tired, stereotypical and boring.

[lmr]

I agree... These days I listen to mostly hard ass rock like Chevelle, A Perfect Circle, Audioslave, etc... I am a true rocker. However, I do happen to fancy some Diamond Rio or Toby Keith once in a while. A weird man, I am.

[abb]

More good news...

[Smokin' Joe]

Yeah, me too. I remember when people listened to music (no videos, no MTV).

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

Bring back the Sugarhill Gang!

[Dr Stormfist]

MTV needs to just show music video's again 24/7 and stop the rest of the silliness.

[napscoordinator]

I must admit I am not surprised. I was turning the channel and saw two minutes of it. It was pretty vulgar and nasty. Who wants to sit down and watch three hours of it. I had enough after 2 minutes. It seemed dark and not very entertaining. I guess I am getting old...but at least the rest of America apparently agreed with me.

[Caipirabob]

Is there a ping list for these? They are always enjoyable posts. Thanks!

[Caipirabob]

I feel like such a dinosaur. I'm old enough to remember when MTV showed videos. That's old!

I remember those days... *sigh*

LOL!

[philo]

The thrill of MTV in the early years was the anticipation that the next video would be better than the one that was on now.

Now it's become just a life styles channel for upscale brats.

[stands2reason]

Yeah, imagine that. Kids didn't want to listen to a lecture from one of their elders. Who'd have thought.

Someone should end up fired for that f-up.

[ovrtaxt]

These days I listen to mostly hard ass rock like Chevelle, A Perfect Circle, Audioslave, etc... I am a true rocker.

Yeah man. All that and some good, complex prog rock, and I'm right there with you. I'm currently enjoying the new Tool stuff, some old Floyd (Animals), and as always, Rush (Hemispheres).

And my friend just recorded a Dream Theater concert on VH1 recently, so I guess VH1 isn't completely irrelevant yet.

[Caipirabob]

Rap doesn't interest 80 percent of America...and even amongst teenagers....its a limited audience in 90 percent of America. You can't find a single station in Alaska that plays Rap. In the state of Mississippi....there might be one station that occassionally plays it. MTV has banked on a dead-end street.

Good post and point. MTV needs rap, though. It's the best vehicle to convey the counter-culture message of liberalism they want to indoctrinate their audience with.

MTV's big problem is that they've worn out their audience with their depravities. You can only thrive so long on trying to portay the 1) drug addicted, homosexual pedophile with AIDs who campaigns for the DNC Or 2) the drug addicted, drug dealing, macho, "gangsta", hip-hop pimp who abuses women in a sympathetic light for so long before it becomes an all-out pukefest.

The "culture" that MTV promotes belongs in a petri dish.

[Salamander]

Check out VH1 Classic and FUSE TV.

I levae them on for hours at a time as very nostalgic and enjoyable flashbackground noise....:)

[Ticonderoga34]

I feel like such a dinosaur. I'm old enough to remember when MTV showed videos. That's old!

I can remember when MTV first hit the air waves back in 1981. I thought it was great. Now, it's a pathetic channel with programming I really don't understand.

I think part of the reason for the music's industry slump is because MTV doesn't show videos anymore. In the old days, you would see an artist's video and if you would like their music, you purchase their record. And MTV would help new artists break out to a wider audience by showing their videos. That doesn't happen anymore.

Nowadays if I watch a music channel, I'll watch CMT even though I'm not a big country and western music fan. CMT just has better programming than MTV.

[Uncle Meat]

MTV - Madonna 'Til you Vomit.