This year’s Grammy Awards pulled in 34 million social media interactions on Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and Twitter, making the Jan. 26 show television’s biggest social event of the season so far.
The 2013 Grammy event, by comparison, drew 25 million social media interactions, up from 19 million the year before, according to The Recording Academy, which puts on the annual award show. Last year’s Super Bowl also drew 25 million social mentions last year to tie with the 2013 Grammys.
The Academy for the past five years has invested heavily in social media in order to engage a wider audience and help keep the Grammy brand current throughout the year, not just the week of the show, and to boost the award’s TV ratings.
The efforts seem to have paid off. This year’s show, broadcast on CBS, attracted 28.5 million TV viewers, up from 28.4 million last year. In addition, social interactions during the televised event spiked 36% to record levels. Were it not for the tragic death of Whitney Houston that boosted viewership of the 2012 Grammys to 40 million, this year’s event would have been the highest viewed since 1993, according to CBS Television Network.
Other social statistics released by the Academy include:
- Twitter: 15.7 million mentions during broadcast. Most mentioned artist: Lorde.
- Facebook: 13.5 million interactions. Top social moment on Facebook: Queen Latifah presiding over wedding as Macklemore and Madonna serenade newlyweds.
- Tumblr: +100,000 posts, generating 5.1 million Reblogs and Likes. Top GIF: Daft Punk clapping in the audience.
- Instagram: Gained 43,000 followers during the day of the Grammys. Most liked photo: Taylor Swift on the red carpet.
“These consistently growing statistics underscore the overwhelming excitement and passion for the Grammys across today’s most meaningful social platforms,” said Evan Greene, chief marketing officer at The Recording Academy.
