Celine Dion performs at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas. (Photo: Chris Pizello/AP)
The Billboard Music Awards won the night for ABC on May 21, topping the broadcast ratings, with a 2.6 rating among adults 18-49 and 9.6 million viewers overall. That was actually good enough to place the Dick Clark Productions effort in first place for the week, but it was the show’s lowest score in five years.
But some of the critics were harsh. The Atlantic said, “The biggest current stars seemed disposable as they performed in Las Vegas Sunday night,” and disdainfully observed that “each muddled performance, we were told, was “epic.” One performance singled out by the elite media outlet as genuinely epic, though, was Celine Dion’s 20th anniversary rendition of the Titanic theme song “My Heart Will Go On.”
Interestingly, Dion wasn’t mentioned on the IFPI’s recent list of the world’s top selling pop artists of 2016, topped by names like Beyonce, Adele and Drake, but didn’t make mention of Celine. However, a scan of various tracking agencies’ top sellers by territory has her in the top percentile of just about every list, leading MaxTheTrax to suspect diva Dion may in fact be the globe’s aggregate top-seller in the 21st century.
Sunday’s ABC telecast of the 2017 Billboard Music Awards marked the first time the event was broadcast live across the nation. The 2016 Billboard Music Awards — a 14-year-high — drew 9.6 million viewers and averaged a 3.1 rating in adults 18-49.
Drake was the evening’s big winner, taking home a record 13 statuettes including Top Artist and Top Male Artist. For a complete list of winners, click here.
Among the interesting marketing hooks was the T-Mobile-branded “magenta carpet.” Twitter was also very involved, streaming arrivals and facilitating social sharing, and was good enough to share some stats:
Most Tweeted moments of the night:
- Miley Cyrus performance (sister, Noah, intros by saying “for the first time in years with pants on, my big sister Miley Cyrus!”)
- Celine Dion performs “My Heart Will Go On”
- Ed Sheeran performs live from Santiago, Chile
- Cher performs “Believe”
- Julia Michaels performs
Most Tweeted about celebs of the night:
1. @BTS_twt
2. @NICKIMINAJ
3. @justinbieber
4. @Camila_Cabello
5. @TheChainsmokers
Most Tweeted about performances:
1. @MileyCyrus
2. @celinedion
3. @edsheeran
4. @cher
5. @imjmichaels
Celebs who live-Tweeted the show include:
Katy Perry, Celine Dion, John Legend, Nicki Minaj, The Chainsmokers, Vanessa Hudgens, Miley Cyrus, Blake Shelton, Diplo and Ludacris. And many more.
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