Grammys enjoy bigger audience

The Grammy Awards attracted their largest audience since 2004, averaging just over 20 million viewers on CBS on Sunday night, according to preliminary Nielsen ratings released Monday.

The telecast, which saw the Dixie Chicks pick up five trophies including one for album of the year, ranked first during every half-hour with viewers in the advertiser-favored age categories of 18 to 34, 18 to 49 and 25 to 54.

The performance was especially notable since award programs in general have had a steady decline in audience over the last several years.

Last year, the Grammys were telecast on a Wednesday and attracted 17 million viewers. This year’s show also outshone the 2005 ratings by 5%, the last time the program aired on a Sunday.

But it was still far from the nearly 28 million who watched the awards telecast in 2000.

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Martin Miller