2025 VMAs Delivers Its Largest TV Audience in Six Years
The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards was the top-rated entertainment program of the night, hitting a six-year viewership high. The show was seen by more than 5.5 million viewers, between its broadcast on CBS, simulcast on MTV and streaming on Paramount+.
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This marked the first time the VMAs have aired on CBS, which could use a major pop music franchise. CBS will lose the Grammy Awards, which it has aired since 1973, after the upcoming 68th Grammy Awards telecast on Feb. 1. (In October 2024, The Recording Academy announced a new 10-year global deal for The Grammys to be exclusively simulcast on ABC, Hulu and Disney+ beginning in 2027.)
LL COOL J hosted last night’s VMAs. He previously co-hosted the show in 2022. (He also hosted the Grammys five times from 2012-16.)
Here are selected ratings highlights about the 2025 VMAs:
- Watched by more than 5.5 million viewers, making it the night’s No. 1 entertainment program. The show competed with the Sunday Night Football time-period premiere (Raven vs. Bills) and finished second overall in its time period.
- Most-watched day-of-event VMAs since the 2019 show, which was hosted by comedian Sebastian Maniscalco (the last time a comedian hosted the show). That was also the last pre-pandemic show. The pandemic was disruptive to TV viewing habits.
- Audience was up 42% from last year’s airing on MTV and simulcast on other Paramount networks (3.91m). Last year’s show was hosted by Megan Thee Stallion.
- Most-watched entertainment special on CBS since the Grammy Awards on Feb. 2.
- Third-largest live-streamed entertainment event this year on Paramount+, behind only the Grammy Awards and the Golden Globe Awards (which aired on Jan. 11).
- The VMAs’ voting campaign saw the best turnout in history, with 2.5 billion global votes, up 121% from last year (Source: Internal data via Telescope, 08/05/25-09/05/25).
On social media, the 2025 MTV VMAs set new records as the most viewed and most engaged VMAs in history.
- 1 billion global video views, up 21% and 81.1 million engagements, up 6% from last year across owned social media accounts (Source: Sprinklr, 07/27/25-09/08/25).
- #VMAs trended at No. 1 on X in the U.S. for three consecutive hours and in the top 10 for nine hours.
- Globally, #VMA held the No. 1 worldwide trending spot on X for four consecutive hours, trended No. 1 in 12 countries (Source: Trends24, Getdaytrends, 09/07/25).
Ratings Source: Nielsen Time Adjusted Live+SD Fast National Data including Out-of-Home Viewing
Critics generally praised the show. Billboard’s Joe Lynch wrote: “Hosted by LL COOL J, the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards were one of the best VMAs in recent memory, a smart mix of newcomers who brought their A-game (and inventive visuals) and veterans who demonstrated why they’ve lasted in the game so long.” Lynch particularly praised the performances by four of the hottest female singers in pop (Tate McRae, Sabrina Carpenter, Lady Gaga and Doja Cat) as well as the salute to the late Ozzy Osbourne.
Billboard’s Andrew Unterberger also generally liked the show, though he thought it sometimes lavished attention on legacy acts at the expense of contemporary stars. “Those contemporary artists were there on Sunday night (Sept. 7), and basically in full effect — superstars who’d already made their share of VMA history, and rising hitmakers who already seem poised to potentially do so in the future. And yet it could be easy to lose track of them with all the stage and screen time given to legacy artists. … It felt like a missed opportunity to really showcase the present and future, and finally let the past take a bit of a backseat.”
The 2025 VMAs were produced by Gunpowder & Sky. Bruce Gillmer, Den of Thieves co-founder Jesse Ignjatovic, and Barb Bialkowski were executive producers. Alicia Portugal was co-executive producer. Jackie Barba was executive in charge of production. Wendy Plaut was executive in charge of celebrity talent. Lisa Lauricella was executive in charge of music talent.
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