Ratings for MTV's VMAs Much Higher Than Last Year - East Idaho News
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Ratings for MTV’s VMAs Much Higher Than Last Year

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177937095?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1377595141890Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage(NEW YORK) — All of Miley Cyrus’ twerking at the MTV Video Music Awards Sunday night paid off for the cable network.

An estimated 10.1 million people watched the two-and-a-half-hour ceremony, according to Deadline.com. By comparison, the 2012 VMAs were seen by 6.1 million viewers, though that telecast aired on a Thursday, opposite President Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention.

A record 12.4 million people watched the MTV VMAs in 2011.

Sunday’s telecast attracted 4.6 million viewers between the ages of 12 and 34, the biggest audience for any cable entertainment program in that demographic this year.

Much of the talk surrounding the VMAs has focused on Cyrus’ provocative performance alongside Robin Thicke. The Parents Television Council has chastised MTV for airing the performance, and actress Brooke Shields, who played Cyrus’ mom on the former Disney star’s TV series Hannah Montana, has expressed her disapproval, too.

While guest co-hosting NBC’s Today show Monday, Shields remarked, “I just want to know who’s advising her, and why [the VMA display] is necessary. …[Our children] can’t watch that. …I feel like it’s a bit desperate.”

Cyrus isn’t letting the criticism bother her too much. She tweeted Monday, “Smilers! My VMA performance had 306.000 tweets per minute. That’s more than the blackout or Superbowl! #fact.”  

The 2013 VMAs also featured Justin Timberlake reuniting with his old band mates from ‘N SYNC.

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