VMAs ratings sink; The Last Ship season 4 stumbles vs. Game of Thrones
For one, music awards shows are not new or interesting to anyone at this point. There’s just not that much of an interest in watching people congratulate each other, and thanks to the internet seeing live performances of various songs isn’t all that new or breathtaking anymore, either. We’re in a generation that is much harder to impress.
In general, though, the big reason the VMAs struggled this year seems pretty clear: Airing it against the Game of Thrones finale, which shattered HBO records with more than 12 million people watching. Across multiple networks, the best that the awards show drew was 5.4 million viewers and also a 2.6 rating in the 18-49 demographic. Airing across a single network, Game of Thrones more than doubled those ratings.
Also, you do have to remember that the VMAs were hurt this year by another important factor, and that is airing at a time when so many people had more serious things to worry about including the flooding going on in Houston. This awards show will be back and be more prominent than it’s been in the past; it’s mostly a matter of time and getting the right host and performers. We don’t think, however, that it is ever going to be the sort of show that sets records or makes anyone genuinely believe that it is one of the most influential shows on television. MTV has not been especially influential on the music scene for many years now. (Remember, this is an awards show that now has stars of the Teen Mom franchise walking its red carpet.)
As for the latest from The Last Ship…
This is one of the other shows that we cover here with regularity, and we cannot say that we’re shocked here, either, to see the show post one of its lowest ratings yet in a 0.3. It’s airing against all of this competition and dealing with the aforementioned tragedy in Houston.
Like the VMAs, The Last Ship should bounce back, and it will do so as early as the coming weeks. While it does have to contend with Labor Day Weekend coming up, beyond that its biggest competition will be Sunday Night Football. we do think that this will hurt the show, but not in the same way that Game of Thrones does given that football is such a regional sport. Depending on who is playing on a given week, the show pay take a small hit because of that. In general, we wonder why TNT didn’t consider premiering the new season earlier and shifting the timeslot up so that it could air starting at 8:00 p.m. Eastern rather than 9:00.
What do you think about the VMAs ratings, and do you chalk this up to the Game of Thrones finale as much as we do? Share now in the comments below!