2013 Grammys Ratings Down: Rihanna and Justin Timberlake Bring Big Numbers—Just Not Whitney Houston Tribute Big

Sunday night's telecast drew 28.4 million total viewers, the second-highest since 1993

By Jenna Mullins Feb 11, 2013 7:05 PMTags
Grammys, Best & WorstGetty Images

Last year's Grammys saw record-high ratings, thanks in partially to the tribute put together after the sudden death of the late, great Whitney Houston. So this year's broadcast had a very high bar to leap over if CBS wanted to see more landmark ratings.

But Taylor Swift throwing shade at ex Harry StylesRihanna snuggling with Chris Brown and Justin Timberlake's retro performance wasn't enough to beat the 2012 Grammys.

However, Sunday night's telecast of the 55th Annual Grammy Awards still brought in big ratings—the second largest audience since 1993, in fact, with 28.4 million total viewers tuning in to music's biggest night.

In comparison, last year's Grammys brought in a whopping 40 million viewers. That's a 30 percent drop, but again, the 2012 Grammy Awards also served as the music industry's farewell to Whitney Houston.

Meanwhile, ABC dramas dropped in the ratings going up against the Grammys, with Once Upon a Time down to 7 million and Revenge at 5.1 million. Revenge is entering dangerous territory, because this week's episode lost 10 percent of the audience and saw a series-low demo rating. Emily Thorne better get back to red sharpie madness and quick.

What did you think of this year's Grammys?

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