Grammys TV ratings initial numbers on par with 2013 , second-highest numbers of all time

The Grammys got mixed reviews, as always, for its Sunday night broadcast. Fans love some award picks and hated others. Loved some performances and hated others. We're sure CBS hopes you were happy with the presentation, but the network's first priority is always going to be the program's ratings. So while you may still be sickened by so-and-so winning such-and-such, CBS can sleep easy tonight thanks to another tremendous turnout for the "biggest night in music."

Initial numbers indicate that the broadcast scored an average 10.1 rating in the coveted 18-49 age group, with an average 29.7 million viewers tuned in at any time. Those numbers could be adjusted later on Monday, but for all intents and purposes, it seems that the Grammys lived up to the 2013 ceremony.

Last year's broadcast featured the exact same rating in the 18-49 range as this year's show, but 2013 only held an average audience of 28.4 million throughout. This year may have only just barely beaten last year's program, but 2013 was also the second-highest (now third highest) audience in the show's history. The most-viewed ceremony ever, 2012, had a somewhat unfair advantage. Whitney Houston passed away less than 24 hours prior to the show, and a shocked nation tuned in for the hastily arranged tribute, to the tune of 40 million viewers on average, with an average rating of 14.1. CBS isn't expecting to top that any time soon.

Does this ultimately make any difference to you? No. Nothing is going to take the Grammys off the air anytime soon. It does benefit CBS however, as the network can now charge more and more for a 30-second commercial slot during the ceremony. This year saw some slots break $1 million. And the more companies pay for airtime, the more they invest into the commercials themselves. Even with the Super Bowl right around the corner, many companies put big bucks into big commercials, such as Pepsi's extravagant "Grammys Halftime Show" spot.