Britney Spears’ 3.8M Not a Ratings ‘Record’

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Hard to believe, but viewers may be tiring of Britney Spears’ attempt to flog her new record.

You may have heard that MTV won supposedly unfettered access to the pop star for weeks, airing the result Sunday night as a special, ‘Britney: For the Record,’ which was expertly timed to coincide with the release of her new album, ‘Circus.’ (Among the MTV revelations: Spears’ observation that ‘people shave their heads all the time.’)

So how did the 66-minute special do? In terms of raw numbers, it delivered an average of 3.8 million total viewers, according to figures from Nielsen Media Research.

Are those good numbers? Well, not really -- not considering the level of intense public fascination that supposedly envelops Spears every time she steps outside. ‘Were y’all still in a turkey coma or do you just not care anymore?’ celebrity blogger Perez Hilton asked, adding that the MTV special ‘didn’t live up to expectations.’

In a news release, MTV said that the special scored a ‘staggering’ 3.5 rating among viewers ages 12 to 34. But significantly, the network did not compare the Britney documentary to some of its other highly rated specials. Instead, it merely stated that the special had improved ratings in the normal Sunday time period. Time-slot improvements are usually the statistic of last resort for ratings-spinners.

MTV’s reticence is understandable. By comparison, the network’s VMA telecast back in September delivered 8.4 million total viewers, or well more than twice the ‘For the Record’ audience.

But then, it’s impossible for any outlet to claim exclusivity when it comes to Britney these days. The MTV special landed between an extensive Rolling Stone cover package and a much-hyped performance on ABC’s ‘Good Morning America.’

-Scott Collins