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1 of 5. Justin Bieber accepts the award for favorite pop rock album for ''Believe'' at the 40th American Music Awards in Los Angeles, California, November 18, 2012.

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LOS ANGELES | Mon Nov 19, 2012 6:19pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The American Music Awards pulled in its lowest ever TV audience on Sunday, despite the presence of teen heart-throb Justin Bieber and Korean "Gangnam Style" sensation Psy.

According to ratings data issued on Monday, Sunday's ceremony and performance show broadcast live on Walt Disney Co's ABC television was watched by an average 9.5 million viewers - down from 12 million in 2011.

The annual show also dropped 21 percent of its viewers compared to last year in the key 18-49 demographic most prized by advertisers.

The American Music Awards was up against stiff competition this year from football, but ABC said the telecast was the top TV show of the night with women and teens.

But big stars like Katy Perry, Rihanna, Adele and Beyonce did not turn up for the show as it celebrated its 40th anniversary as an alternative to the Grammys.

Bieber, 18, was the top draw on Sunday, winning three awards including artist of the year and performing live twice.

Korean Internet phenomenon Psy closed out the three hour ceremony with a rousing performance of his No.1 hit single "Gangnam Style", joined on stage with MC Hammer, one of the pioneering rappers from the 1980s.

(Reporting By Jill Serjeant; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)
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Comments (16)
Stop wrote:
It’s the lowest yet because the so-called music isn’t good! The great majority of performers are terrible and can’t really sing well. It’ s no longer an art form … it’s only about how much money they can make.I’ll bet you want to know my age …

Nov 19, 2012 1:53pm EST  --  Report as abuse
Barlow wrote:
Is anyone actually surprised at the ratings drop? The awards shows are just self pomp amongst industry sweethearts. And the music is repetitive, unoriginal with artists that lack originality and have to hire songwriters to compose their music, people to teach them how to do their dance moves, and digital equipment to alter their voice for recordings and to play their music live for them.

Is it any wonder more and more people are tuning out? The music industry has entered a slump – one that they’ve engineered themselves by squelching all forms of creative talent to focus on mass-produced garbage.

Nov 19, 2012 2:07pm EST  --  Report as abuse
endtimes wrote:
So the demographic viewership was down? Overall audience down? A small glimmer of hope that people may be discovering that it’s really the “American Contrived Crap Freak Show Awards”…
NASCAR is spec. racing, and American music is spec. performing. How long can we continue to consume this stuff?

Nov 19, 2012 2:09pm EST  --  Report as abuse
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