iHeartRadio Music Awards to air March 29

The iHeart Radio Music Awards has set a date for its return.

The fledgling telecast will air March 29 on NBC and across iHeartMedia’s stations and its digital music platform, the radio conglomerate announced on Wednesday. It will again be taped at the Shrine Auditorium.

Last year iHeartMedia (formerly known as Clear Channel) made its first bid to compete in the seemingly overcrowded landscape of second-tier awards telecasts that offer an alternative to the Grammys and are driven by youth who consume music in streams, likes and retweets.

How did the show fare? We weren’t impressed, but it proved to be a hit with NBC. The telecast pulled in more than 5.5 million viewers, with 65 million votes logged across Facebook and Twitter to determine the night’s winners.

During the three-hour, fan-voted show, the typical honors (artist and song of the year, new artist and genre-specific honors) were doled out, alongside more irreverent trophies like best fan army.

Pitbull, Ariana Grande, Kendrick Lamar, Blake Shelton and Pharrell Williams were among the night’s performers, and Rihanna was the night’s big winner, taking home four honors, including artist of the year.

“We are in touch with music fans 365 days a year,” said John Sykes, iHeartMedia’s president of Entertainment Enterprises, in a statement. “Last year’s inaugural iHeartRadio Music Awards was not only a ratings success, but also the beginning of a powerful new awards show franchise that accurately reflects and showcases the artists and music the American public truly loves. NBC has proven their music prowess and have become great partners on this show.”

The iHeartRadio Music Awards are scheduled to air March 29 on NBC at 8 p.m. (Pacific).

Twitter: @GerrickKennedy