Photo Credit: Eva Rinaldi / CC by 2.0
The Grammy Awards recorded a surge in growth in 2024 as the post-pandemic recovery continues, a record high since 2020.
The 66th Grammy Awards raked in a record growth since before the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, with 16.9 million viewers on CBS, according to Nielsen data — a 34% increase over last year’s 12.4 million. The ceremony’s livestream on Paramount+ saw even higher viewership, up 173% from last year’s online audience, with estimates for delayed live-plus three-day viewing expected to bring the Grammys audience over 17 million.
Viewership for the 2024 Grammys peaked with 18.25 million from 9:45 to 10 PM ET during the In Memoriam segment featuring performances from Stevie Wonder, Annie Lennox, Jon Batiste, and Fantasia Barrino. This year’s viewership also substantially exceeded that of the 2021 show, which only saw 9.39 million total viewers, and the 2022 show’s 9.59 million.
But this year’s numbers are still pale compared to the ceremony’s pre-pandemic audience, with 18.8 million total viewers in 2020 and 19.9 million in 2019. That said, 2024’s viewership numbers show light at the end of the tunnel as live events continue their post-pandemic recovery.
The Grammys red carpet event saw similar viewership growth this year, with 1.5 million viewers, up from 1.1 million the previous year. That’s also the biggest audience for the event since a pre-pandemic 2020.
Comedian Trevor Noah hosted the ceremony for the fourth year in a row, broadcast live from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Sunday night’s show featured performances from Billy Joel, Burna Boy, Joni Mitchell, SZA, U2, Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, Travis Scott, Olivia Rodrigo, and Luke Combs featuring Tracy Chapman.
In addition to the night’s performances, the 2024 Grammys featured several watercooler moments: Jay-Z called out the snubbing of wife Beyonce in the Album of the Year category, and Taylor Swift announced a new album dropping in April while claiming her award for Best Pop Vocal Album. Meanwhile, rapper and award winner Killer Mike was detained and questioned following an alleged physical altercation.
