The American Music Awards (AMAs) made a spectacular return to live broadcasting for its 2025 edition, finding a new home on CBS after not airing a live event since 2022. Hosted by the iconic Jennifer Lopez, the show was broadcast from the luxurious Fontainebleau resort in Las Vegas. This comeback marked a significant resurgence for the fan-voted awards show, capturing substantial viewership and re-establishing its presence in the music awards landscape.

According to the latest Nielsen figures, the 2025 AMAs, in its debut on CBS, averaged an impressive 4.86 million viewers. This represented a remarkable 38% increase compared to its last live broadcast on ABC in November 2022 and marked the show's largest audience since 2019. The telecast secured its position as the top broadcast of the night, outperforming several other notable specials. For instance, CBS reported that the AMAs audience was 26 percent higher than ABC’s CMA Country Christmas (3.87M viewers), 39 percent higher than NBC’s SNL 50 Years of Music special (3.49M viewers), and 52 percent higher than ABC’s CMA Fest broadcast (3.19M viewers).

Beyond total viewership, the 2025 AMAs also demonstrated substantial growth across key demographics when compared to the 2022 live broadcast. Nielsen data revealed a stunning 91% surge among adults 18-34. Gains were also significant among adults 18-49, with a 23% increase, and among adults 25-54, which saw a 16% rise. These figures underscore the show's renewed appeal to a broad and engaged audience.

The night unequivocally belonged to Billie Eilish, who achieved a clean sweep by winning in all seven categories for which she was nominated. The nine-time Grammy and two-time Oscar winner's accolades included the prestigious Artist of the Year award. Her album "Hit Me Hard and Soft" was recognized as Album of the Year and Favorite Pop Album. Furthermore, Eilish was celebrated as Favorite Touring Artist and Favorite Female Pop Artist. Her hit song "Birds of a Feather" secured both Song of the Year and Favorite Pop Song, cementing her status as the standout artist of the 2025 AMAs.

While Eilish dominated, other artists also received recognition. Kendrick Lamar, despite leading with ten nominations, took home one award for Favorite Hip-Hop Song with his smash hit “Not Like Us.” The 2025 AMAs also introduced new categories, including the aforementioned Album of the Year and Song of the Year, both claimed by Eilish. Another new addition, Social Song of the Year, was awarded to Doechii for her track “Anxiety.”

The awards show generated considerable buzz across social and digital media platforms. CBS touted impressive engagement figures, noting that the AMAs drove 9.2 billion potential impressions and garnered 816,600 mentions on social media, according to data from Listenfirst. The network's social accounts amassed over 100 million video views within the first 24 hours across platforms like Instagram, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook. Additionally, the AMAs Twitch live broadcast saw viewership peak at 205,500 during an appearance by YouTube star Kai Cenat, as reported by TwitchTracker, highlighting its multi-platform reach.

The 2025 American Music Awards telecast was produced by Dick Clark Productions. CBS had acquired the broadcast rights for the AMAs in May 2024, a deal that also included the Golden Globes. Prior to this full broadcast, CBS had aired an introductory one-off, the “American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special,” in October of the previous year. It's also noteworthy that Variety's parent company, PMC, owns Dick Clark Productions through a joint venture with Eldridge.