Entertainment

2025 VMAs Delivers Its Largest TV Audience in Six Years

Published

9 months ago

September 9, 2025

Vicky

The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards was the top-rated entertainment program of the night, hitting a six-year viewership high. The show was seen by more than 5.5 million viewers, between its broadcast on CBS, simulcast on MTV and streaming on Paramount+.

This marked the first time the VMAs have aired on CBS, which could use a major pop music franchise. CBS will lose the Grammy Awards, which it has aired since 1973, after the upcoming 68th Grammy Awards telecast on Feb. 1. (In October 2024, The Recording Academy announced a new 10-year global deal for The Grammys to be exclusively simulcast on ABC, Hulu and Disney+ beginning in 2027.)

LL COOL J hosted last night’s VMAs. He previously co-hosted the show in 2022. (He also hosted the Grammys five times from 2012-16.)

Here are selected ratings highlights about the 2025 VMAs:

Watched by more than 5.5 million viewers, making it the night’s No. 1 entertainment program. The show competed with the Sunday Night Football time-period premiere (Raven vs. Bills) and finished second overall in its time period.
Most-watched day-of-event VMAs since the 2019 show, which was hosted by comedian Sebastian Maniscalco (the last time a comedian hosted the show). That was also the last pre-pandemic show. The pandemic was disruptive to TV viewing habits.
Audience was up 42% from last year’s airing on MTV and simulcast on other Paramount networks (3.91m). Last year’s show was hosted by Megan Thee Stallion.
Most-watched entertainment special on CBS since the Grammy Awards on Feb. 2.
Third-largest live-streamed entertainment event this year on Paramount+, behind only the Grammy Awards and the Golden Globe Awards (which aired on Jan. 11).
The VMAs’ voting campaign saw the best turnout in history, with 2.5 billion global votes, up 121% from last year (Source: Internal data via Telescope, 08/05/25-09/05/25).

On social media, the 2025 MTV VMAs set new records as the most viewed and most engaged VMAs in history.

1 billion global video views, up 21% and 81.1 million engagements, up 6% from last year across owned social media accounts (Source: Sprinklr, 07/27/25-09/08/25).
#VMAs trended at No. 1 on X in the U.S. for three consecutive hours and in the top 10 for nine hours.
Globally, #VMA held the No. 1 worldwide trending spot on X for four consecutive hours, trended No. 1 in 12 countries (Source: Trends24, Getdaytrends, 09/07/25).

Ratings Source: Nielsen Time Adjusted Live+SD Fast National Data including Out-of-Home Viewing

Critics generally praised the show. Billboard’s Joe Lynch wrote: “Hosted by LL COOL J, the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards were one of the best VMAs in recent memory, a smart mix of newcomers who brought their A-game (and inventive visuals) and veterans who demonstrated why they’ve lasted in the game so long.” Lynch particularly praised the performances by four of the hottest female singers in pop (Tate McRae, Sabrina Carpenter, Lady Gaga and Doja Cat) as well as the salute to the late Ozzy Osbourne.

Billboard’s Andrew Unterberger also generally liked the show, though he thought it sometimes lavished attention on legacy acts at the expense of contemporary stars. “Those contemporary artists were there on Sunday night (Sept. 7), and basically in full effect — superstars who’d already made their share of VMA history, and rising hitmakers who already seem poised to potentially do so in the future. And yet it could be easy to lose track of them with all the stage and screen time given to legacy artists. … It felt like a missed opportunity to really showcase the present and future, and finally let the past take a bit of a backseat.”

The 2025 VMAs were produced by Gunpowder & Sky. Bruce Gillmer, Den of Thieves co-founder Jesse Ignjatovic, and Barb Bialkowski were executive producers. Alicia Portugal was co-executive producer. Jackie Barba was executive in charge of production. Wendy Plaut was executive in charge of celebrity talent. Lisa Lauricella was executive in charge of music talent.

Entertainment

Which New Music Release Is Your Favorite This Week? Vote!

Published

1 month ago

April 25, 2026

Vicky

It’s the final new music Friday (April 24) of the month, and everyone from Noah Kahan to Kehlani and Suki Waterhouse have put forth some of their best work as May waits just around the corner.

This week, Vermont’s favorite folk-rock singer-songwriter finally returned with a new album after four years of Stick Season, his breakout album that reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200. The Great Divide is 17 tracks of Kahan reexamining his worldview after struggling with his mental health in the years since he found fame.

And, as if taking cues from the success of first-ever Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit “Folded” (which reached No. 6 on the chart in January), Kehlani leans fully into classic R&B flavors in an intentional push to recenter the genre’s traditions. “All the R&B artists, we want R&B to be back,” the artist told Billboard ahead of being named Billboard Women in Music’s Impact honoree. “We want good, long songs. We want three verses and bridges and modulations and all the things – we want that too. We just didn’t think anybody else wanted it. I have an allegiance to the genre, and I’ll keep it there.”

On top of the bounty of new albums, several artists have released fresh singles — including Suki Waterhouse, who returns with “Tiny Raisin” shortly after announcing her next album, Loveland, as well as Hayley Kiyoko and Gigi Perez, who teamed up for heartfelt duet “Collide.” Plus, Dylan Gossett adds “My Boy” to the mix, written as a letter to his son.

But which release is your favorite this week? Let Billboard know by voting in the poll below.

Entertainment

Celeb-Loved Juicy Couture T-Shirts Are On Sale for $8 Right Now (If You Hurry)

Published

1 month ago

April 25, 2026

Vicky

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

It’s been almost three decades since the LA-based casual wear brand Juicy Couture first hit store shelves, and the Hollywood-loved label has made its way back into the spotlight in recent years thanks to the Y2K trend resurgence and newfound love from influencers online.

Best known for its T-shirts, handbags and yes, those velour tracksuits (reportedly designed exclusively for Madonna at first), Juicy Couture pieces were seen on practically every major celebrity in the 2000s, from Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, to Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian. Musicians like Miley Cyrus, Nicole Scherzinger and even Beyoncé have also been spotted wearing Juicy Couture, and now, a new Amazon deal makes it easy for you to get into some JC as well.

LIMITED TIME DEAL

Table of Contents

Juicy Couture Cap Sleeve T-Shirt (Five-Pack)

$38.24 $44.99 15% off

Buy Now On Amazon

Amazon is selling a five-pack of Juicy Couture T-shirts right now for just $39. Part of the “Juicy Sport” line, the cropped T-shirts are made from a super soft and breathable “performance” fabric that features a touch of spandex for easy movement and stretch.

That makes the T-shirts as ideal for a workout or yoga session as they are for pairing with your everyday ‘fits. The crop top look leans into the Y2K aesthetic and Amazon’s website shows the shirts styled with shorts, leggings and mini skirts alike.

This Amazon deal gets you five Juicy Couture T-shirts for under $40. That brings the price of each tee down to less than $8 — a virtually unheard of deal for generic T-shirts, let alone a brand name pick.

We like the five-pack above, which gets you a T-shirt in two shades of pink (including a light pink with the signature Juicy Couture cherries), plus navy blue, gray and black. You can choose from other color combinations online. The tees are available in sizes small to XXL.

ALSO AVAILABLE

Juicy Couture T-Shirts (Three-Pack)

$29.74

Buy Now On Amazon

Don’t need five T-shirts? Amazon also sells a three-pack of Juicy Couture tees for just $30, bringing the price of each individual shirt to under $10.

ALSO CONSIDER

Juicy Couture Queen of Everything Mini Duffle Bag

$45.09 $79.00 43% off

Buy Now On Amazon

And if you need a bag to take to the gym (or for an overnight stay), we like this mini barrel-style duffle bag, on sale for 43% off. The two-tone bag measures approximate 8.2 x 4.9 inches in size, which is enough room for your wallet, keys, change of clothes and toiletries. Choose to carry the bag via the top handle or with the detachable shoulder straps.

All of the above picks are officially-licensed products sold through Amazon’s Juicy Couture storefront. As with all Amazon deals, the sale prices could end at anytime, so we recommend adding the deals to cart while they are still live.

Entertainment

Head Back to Hawkins With New ‘Stranger Things: Tales From ’85’ Soundtrack

Published

1 month ago

April 25, 2026

Vicky

Netflix is bringing us back to the ’80s, and it’s making sure we have the right music for the occasion.

On Wednesday (April 22), Billboard can exclusively reveal that an original soundtrack is coming this week for the brand-new animated spin-off series Stranger Things: Tales From ’85. The score album, composed by Brad Breeck (Gravity Falls, We Bare Bears), will be released globally Thursday (April 23) at midnight ET.

Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 also arrives Thursday on Netflix, bringing viewers back to the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, in the ’80s and reuniting us with some of the original show’s main characters. And much like Stranger Things, music plays a large role in the new show.

“This collection bridges the gap between the eerie depths of the Upside Down and the vibrant, neon energy of the mid-’80s,” Netflix said in a statement.

Tales From ’85 will feature not only a brand-new version of the original Stranger Things theme song, but the first episodes also include a selection of ’80s hits from artists like Black Sabbath, Billy Idol, Cyndi Lauper and more. Needle drops throughout the series include “We Got the Beat” by The Go-Go’s, “A Forest” by The Cure and “We’ll Meet Again” by Vera Lynn, “Rebel Yell” by Idol, and Lauper’s Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “Time After Time.”

If it’s anything like the original show, artists with songs played in the new series could see a bump in streams and chart placements in the aftermath of the show’s premiere. After featuring the songs in pivotal moments, Stranger Things brought Kate Bush‘s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” to a new peak of No. 3 on the Hot 100 in 2022, 37 years after its initial release, while Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” made its debut on the chart the same year, 36 years after it came out.

Fans can pre-save Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 (Soundtrack from the Netflix Series) by Brad Breeck here, and find the full score track list below.

Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 (Soundtrack from the Netflix Series) by Brad Breeck track list

Flamethrower (artists: Brad Breeck feat. Brian Parkhurst)
Kids Riding Bikes
Big Snowstorm Coming
Someone In There
HIC Theme
I Just Saved Your Life
Strange Stones
Gotta Go Dark
How Long Is Detention
Sewer Chase (artists: Brad Breeck feat. Brian Parkhurst)
Towns
Clean Up
Investigating Pumpkins
Heaven Eleven
Nice Time Tonight
Storm the Gates
What Were These Things
Ground Rules
seluR dnuorG
Her Royal Nastiness
We Have To Try
Tales from ’85 End Titles (artists: Brad Breeck feat. Cooper Babbes)