2023 CMT Awards Draws Highest Viewership In Show’s History, Breaks Digital Records

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Jelly Roll accepts the Male Video of the Year Award. Photo: Rick Kern/Getty Images for CMT

This year’s CMT Music Awards earlier this month drew the most viewership in the show’s history, with an audience of 5.43 million viewers, up 5% from last year.

The show also achieved triple-digit percentage increases (vs. Year-Over-Year) for social media views and engagements across CMT channels, to become CMT’s most social show ever.

Awards digital and social campaign highlights include a 211% increase year over year for total interactions and +46% growth for social viewers. CMT social accounts drove 171M total views (+75%, +73M YOY) and 11.6M engagements (+156%, +7.1M YOY), making this year’s awards show the most-viewed and engaged in history.

The three-hour event also garnered significant sales and stream increases for the artists and songs performed on the show. Comparing the week over week period April 2 through April 9 versus  March 26 through April 2, the average sales of songs performed saw an overall +134% sales spike and +9% streaming increase for songs performed. Sales and streaming highlights include:

Sales Increases (week over week)
Jelly Roll, “Need A Favor” +491%
Kelsea Ballerini, “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too)” +395%
Keith Urban, “Brown Eyes Baby” +239%
Blake Shelton, “Nobody” +179%
Kane Brown & Katelyn Brown, “Thank God” +98%

Streaming Increases (week over week)
Darius Rucker, “Fires Don’t Start Themselves” +143%~
Gwen Stefani (No Doubt), “Just a Girl” +63%
Tyler Hubbard, “Dancin’ In The Country” +38%
Jelly Roll, “Need A Favor” +37%
Kelsea Ballerini, “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too)” +31%

~ performed as part of CMT Music Awards Extended Cut, which aired April 9 on CMT

Lorie Hollabaugh
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