CMA Awards Wins Wednesday Evening, Despite Viewership Drop

The viewership for last night’s (Nov. 4) Country Music Association awards helped earn ABC the No. 1 network ranking in total viewers and adults. Also, the CMA Awards reigned as the most-watched TV show overall (13.6 million viewers), topping Fox’s Empire draw of 11.6 million.

During primetime, ABC (13.8 million viewers and a 3.8/12 rating) defeated Fox (8.3 million and 3.0/9) by 5.3 million viewers and by 27 percent in Adults 18-49.

Despite helping ABC win the evening, the awards show viewership was down from 2014, losing .7 ratings points in adults 18-49, along with more than 2 million viewers.

According to television ratings site zap2it.com, the 2015 CMA awards show brought in nearly 13.6 million viewers, with a 3.8 share in adults 18-49. Last year, the show drew 16.1 million total viewers, along with a 4.5 rating.

It was ABC’s third straight year to rank No. 1 on the opening Wednesday of the November Sweeps. 

Last night’s big CMA winners include triple award winner Chris Stapleton, along with Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert and Florida Georgia Line.

For full details of the evening, see MusicRow contributor Robert Oermann’s recap.

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Jessica Nicholson

Jessica Nicholson serves as the Managing Editor for MusicRow magazine. Her previous music journalism experience includes work with Country Weekly magazine and Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) magazine. She holds a BBA degree in Music Business and Marketing from Belmont University. She welcomes your feedback at jnicholson@musicrow.com.

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