MTV(NEW YORK) — Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards delivered strong ratings, despite being forced to air remote, socially distanced performances and award presentations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

This year’s viewership dipped by just 5% from last year in terms of total linear viewership, according to Variety. A total of 6.4 million viewers tuned in across MTV and the 12 other ViacomCBS brands on which it was simulcast, as opposed to 6.8 million last time around, according to the industry trade. Those figures include the pre-show, main show, post-show, and encore performances of the show. 

The VMAs, hosted this year by Hustlers star Keke Palmer, also delivered a whopping 41.1 million impressions on social media, second only to the Super Bowl.

By George Costantino
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