VMAs 2026 Tally Biggest Audience Since 2015 With 8.4 Million Viewers on CBS and MTV

MTV’s Video Music Awards returned to Los Angeles with a bang, bringing in its biggest audience since 2015. The star-studded show, which aired live from the Peacock Theater, scored 8.43 million viewers across CBS and MTV, which also included an encore run on MTV, according to fast national live-plus-same-day Nielsen figures. That’s up 51% from the 2025 show, which brought in 5.6 million viewers across CBS and MTV, also including the MTV encore. Last year’s viewership marked a six-year viewership high as it simulcast on CBS for the first time, but the 2026 show broke those records as it scored the best same-day audience since the 2015 show, when the show scored 12.73 million viewers. Viewership for the VMAs peaked with over 15 million viewers during the opening act, which saw Madonna perform at the show for the first time in 23 years alongside Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX. On CBS, the Snoop Dogg-hosted show averaged 7.61 million viewers, rising 52% from last year’s viewership of 5 million. MTV’s simulcast averaged 686,000 viewers, up 40% from last year’s show, which scored 491,000. More to come …