48th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards posts biggest audience in 15 years

ACM Awards top Sunday with largest audience since 1998

The 48^th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards led CBS to a Sunday night victory as the night's top program in viewers and demographics with the event's highest measures in viewers since 1998, in households and adults 18-49 since 2001, and in adults 25-54 since 2000, according to Nielsen preliminary live plus same day ratings for April 7.

Sunday night's broadcast also marked the first time that the ACM Awards have beaten the same season's Country Music Awards in these ratings categories since the advent of people meters.

The ACM Awards swept the night in households (9.2/14), viewers (15.38m), adults 25-54 (5.3/12) and adults 18-49 (4.3/11). The ACM Awards posted its best deliveries in households and adults 18-49 since 2001, in adults 25-54 since 2000 and largest audience since 1998. Compared to last year's ceremony (on April 1), The ACM Awards was up 16 percent in households (from 7.9/13), 26 percent in adults 25-54 (from 4.2/10), 39 percent in adults 18-49 (from 3.1/08), and added 2.29m viewers (from 13.09m, 17 percent increase).

Compared to The CMA Awards on ABC on Nov. 1, The ACM Awards was ahead by 8 percent in households (from 8.5/13), 13 percent in both adults 25-54 (from 4.7/11) and adults 18-49 (from 3.8/10), and led by 1.70m viewers (from 13.68m, 12 percent increase).

The ACM Awards also broke records online and on social media. Social media mentions around this year's show hit an all-time high, up 285 percent over last year, according to SocialGuide, and visits to ACM Awards content on CBS.com were up 136 percent over last year. In addition, more than 1.1 million votes were cast for the Entertainer of the Year and New Artist of the Year categories combined, an increase of 22 percent over last year's vote.

For the night, CBS was first in households (8.4/14), viewers (13.87m), adults 25-54 (4.5/11) and adults 18-49 (3.6/10) for the sixth consecutive Sunday and the seventh time in eight weeks.