The singer took the stage in a sparking white gown and veil to perform the hymn, "Precious Lord, Take My Hand," backed by a twelve African-American men who gestured "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" at the start of the number, among a few other moves.
Shifting a little later in the calendar this year, CBS’ annual Grammy telecast topped Sunday’s broadcast ratings. A full picture of the sprawling three-hour and forty-five-minute telecast, which didn’t conclude until 11:40 p.m. ET, has the show down more than 3 million viewers from last year’s performance. That marks its lowest telecast since 2009.
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Between 8 and 11 45 p.m. ET, the Grammys averaged 24.8 million viewers and a 8.3 rating among adults 18-49. Last year’s show went on to average 28.5 million viewers and a 9.9 rating among adults 18-49. That makes for respective drops of 13 and 16 percent.
Competition this year was a mixed bag. While the Grammys didn’t have to contend with the NFL Pro Bowl, as they did last year, the show did have to face daunting demo competition with the return of TV’s highest-rated show: The Walking Dead on AMC.
As for the other broadcast nets, ABC’s America’s Funniest Home Videos dropped three-tenths of a point from its last new episode to a 1.4 rating among adults 18-49. And on Fox, a steady Mulaney (0.5 adults) started the night softly before The Simpsons and Brooklyn Nine-Nine each fetched a 1.2 rating in the key demo. Family Guy (1.4 adults) and Bob’s Burgers (1.0 adults) each dropped two-tenths of a point.
