Madonna performs at the 2026 VMAs.
Photo by Francis Specker/CBS
There was a distinct throwback vibe to the Video Music Awards show on Sunday: Madonna opened the show and walked away with the most awards on the night. Snoop Dogg hosted. The VMAs gave Nirvana the Video Vanguard award, the equivalent of a lifetime achievement or hall of fame honor.
Also giving nostalgic vibes: the size of the VMAs audience. Including a replay on MTV in West Coast primetime, the show averaged just under 9 million viewers on CBS and MTV. That was up 60 percent from 5.6 million the first CBS/MTV simulcast last year and the largest audience for the VMAs since 2015. Important ad demographics (adults 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54) for the show were at their highest in seven or eight years.
A partial explanation comes from the fact that the NFL lead-in for the VMAs was bigger than it was a year ago: CBS’ telecast of the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens (playing in Brazil) averaged 24.9 million viewers, about a million more than the lead-in game last year. Viewership peaked at 30 million-plus right at the end of the game, delivering a huge audience right into the opening of the VMAs (which were, in turn, the most-watched portion of the show).
That probably doesn’t account for the full 60 percent improvement, though. Maybe the now middle-aged people who grew up Madonna fans came out in force. Maybe Taylor Swift (two wins, including video of the year) is still that big a viewer magnet. Maybe other things I can’t pull from the top of my head.
Regardless, the 8.99 million viewers for the VMAs would have slotted in nicely in the show’s late 1990s ratings numbers (which were just for MTV then, back when cable was still able to draw big live audiences for things that aren’t live sports). Sunday’s audience was almost identical to the 8.94 million people who watched the 1998 VMAs.
The big winner that year? Madonna.
The top network and cable shows for last week are below, followed by the syndicated top 10 for Sept. 7-13.