Grammy Awards capture large audience

The Grammy Awards, held in Los Angeles on Sunday (February 11), attracted its largest television audience in three years.

The ceremony garnered an estimated 20 million viewers across the United States, according to Nielsen ratings data.

Last year, the televised awards ceremony aired on a Wednesday (rather than on a Sunday) and attracted approximately 17 million viewers.

The lower 2006 numbers were largely attributed to going head-to-head with the ultra-popular 'American Idol' programme, but it did not face such stiff competition this time around.

The 2007 Grammys -- which presented major awards to Dixie Chicks, Mary J Blige and Red Hot Chili Peppers, as previously reported -- ranked the number one programme for each half-hour during the three-and-a-half hour broadcast. It scored particularly high with the desirable 18 to 54 demographic.

--By our Los Angeles staff.
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