2019 CMT Music Awards Celebrate a Jump in Ratings

The ratings for the 2019 CMT Music Awards are in, and they were, undoubtedly, a huge success in comparison to last year.

According to a press release, about 2.7 million people tuned into catch the yearly fan-voted program, which aired live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, June 5. That draw represents a 29% bump up from last year’s total audience.

Results were driven mostly by young adults and the addition of MTV’s brand suite, and saw an overall increase in ratings by nearly 50%. In the demographic that represents people between ages 18 to 34, ratings were up 58%, resulting in a score of 0.99. Social media also saw a significant boost in numbers with an increase of over 150%, making the show the top watched social primetime program across all broadcast and cable channels for the night.

The 2019 CMT Music Awards, hosted for a second year by Little Big Town, came packed with a record-breaking number of performances by artists like Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Kelsea Ballerini and Luke Bryan. There were also plenty of collaborations by pairs like Tanya Tucker and Brandi Carlile, Sheryl Crow and Maren Morris and more.

Underwood came out the night’s biggest winner, securing two trophies for Female Video of the Year for “Love Wins” and Video of the Year for “Cry Pretty.” She also performed her sunny single, “Southbound” to an outdoor crowd. Underwood’s two wins continue to make her the most awarded artist in the history of the fan-voted ceremony, which recognizes the best of the best in country music videos.

Other artists who took home ceremonial belt buckles, include Kane Brown, Dan + Shay, Zac Brown Band, and Ashley McBride. Luke Combs and Leon Bridges, and Keith Urban and Julia Michaels also took home awards for their respective collaboration videos.