More than 12.4 million viewers tuned in to see Lady Gaga in drag as MTV’s broadcast of the Video Music Awards scored the franchise’s best ratings ever.
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According to Nielsen, Sunday’s awards show that saw Katy Perry, Adele and Beyonce make headlines ranked as the cable network’s biggest audience in history, with the VMAs delivering a 10.8 rating and 8.5 million viewers in the network’s target 12-34 demographic, a best in the metric.
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Year-over-year, the 2011 VMAs were up 9 percent in total viewers and 8 percent in the 12-34 demo.
In addition, Sunday’s VMAs ranked as 2011’s No. 1 cable telecast among the 12-34 demo and the top nonsports cable telecast of the year in total viewers.
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The cabler’s VMA preshow also scored as MTV’s best on record among the 12-34 demo and in total viewers, attracting 5.2 million (up 13 percent year-over-year) and 7.3 million (up 16 percent), respectively.
Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit
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