Grammys Dip 21 Percent in Early TV Ratings

James Corden-hosted special loses to his 2017 gig in metered markets

James Corden Grammys
Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

James Corden’s second crack at hosting the Grammy Awards was nothing compared to his first.

Sunday’s CBS special earned a 12.7 household rating/21 share in overnight numbers, per the 56 metered-markets measured by Nielsen. That’s down from a 16 rating/26 share for the 2017 telecast.

In 2016, Music’s Biggest Night put up a 16.1/25 in the preliminary metric.

LL Cool J hosted the show for five consecutive years, from 2012 to 2016, and posted its highest ever viewership in his first year.

The 2012 broadcast, which happened the day after Whitney Houston’s death, drew 39.9 million total viewers with a 14.1 rating and 32 share.

Final Grammys figures were released later in the day. You can check those out here.

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