‘American Idol’ Finale Beats Billboard Music Awards in Ratings
Rich Fury / YouTube Reading Time: 2 minutes
On Sunday night, the American Idol Season 19 finale aired on ABC, opposite the Billboard Music Awards on NBC. Before the shows aired, we speculated that this could be a bad decision for Idol, as the BBMAs could draw away viewers.
As it turns out, the opposite happened. American Idol beat the Billboard Music Awards in the ratings, by quite a lot. We can’t say we’re not surprised about this unexpected turn of events.
‘American Idol’ Beats Billboard Music Awards in Ratings
According to Showbiz 411, the American Idol finale received 5.4 million viewers. That’s more than twice as many as the 2.333 million viewers the Billboard Music Awards reportedly received. This is down from last year’s ratings, when 3.6 million viewers tuned in to the awards.
The BBMAs’ ratings were already at an all-time low in 2020, and now they’ve reached a new all-time low in 2021. This loss of interest isn’t exclusive to the Billboard Music Awards — award shows in general have been struggling to attract viewers.
Due to the pandemic, many award shows were delayed, and the ceremonies started to look different than fans were used to. Guests appeared virtually or socially distanced. Award shows like the Emmys and the Golden Globes also lost viewers in the past year.
SEE ALSO: HOW CHAYCE BECKHAM MADE ‘AMERICAN IDOL’ HISTORY WITH HIS WIN
Who Performed at the Billboard Music Awards?
The Billboard Music Awards had some big names take the stage during Sunday night’s show, but it apparently wasn’t enough to draw viewers to NBC. The show was hosted by The Voice coach Nick Jonas, who performed a medley of Jonas Brothers songs with the band, accompanied by Marshmello.
The show also featured a performance from K-pop group BTS, who sang their song “Butter.” American Idol, meanwhile, featured a similarly star-studded lineup of guest performers, including Chaka Khan, Sheryl Crow, Alessia Cara, and Fall Out Boy.
Did you watch any of the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday night? Did you opt for the American Idol finale instead? Let us know in the comments.
