Was the Justin Bieber onslaught to blame for the worst American Music Awards ratings ever? Or did the mop-topped teen idol save the show from an even bigger takedown by the NFL?
NBC won Sunday night with the fourth highest-rated "Sunday Night Football" ever. The Philadelphia Eagles 27-17 win over the New York Giants registered a 15.9 rating, a 31 percent increase over last year's week 11 game.
The AMAs were in second-place with a 4.3, down 22 percent from last year's 5.5 in the same time slot. Preliminary numbers showed the AMAs posting the worst ratings among 18-49 year olds since the current measuring system took effect in 1987. The official numbers will be out Tuesday.
Bieber won in every category in which he was nominated, including Artist of the Year, Favorite Male Artist, Favorite Album in the Pop or Rock field, and Breakthrough Artist Award.
The 16-year-old was the youngest person ever to take the top award, and his youthful appeal may have helped with at least some demographics: ABC noted that it won among teens 12 to 17 and kids 2 to 11.
The show also won among women.
