The American Music Awards Might Not Happen In 2023 – Forbes
Getty Images
The American Music Awards, a longstanding staple in the music industry and a highly anticipated televised show and concert, may not be happening this year. According to a report published by Variety, it looks like there wasn’t room on the schedule for the AMAs, as another show may have bumped it from TV, at least for now.
The Billboard Music Awards are moving to Nov. 19, 2023, which is the Sunday the AMAs are typically held. Both shows are owned and run by Dick Clark Productions (DCP). They worked well together, as the BBMAs have typically been held in May, many months separated from the AMAs. Now that both were looking for a fall air date, things became more complicated.
DCP also works on events like the Golden Globes, and the company itself is owned by Penske Media Corp (PMC), which owns Billboard as well as other media brands. Variety reports that neither the BBMAs nor the AMAs have scored a broadcast partner, which apparently means that DCP had to decide which event to continue to pursue. Since PMC owns the publication Billboard, insiders suggested to the publication that the thinking was that it made more sense to strengthen the Billboard brand over keeping the AMA one going.
Despite the report, a PMC spokeswoman seemed to reject the notion, saying, “We have offers on both shows from networks and streamers.”
Ratings for both award shows have been declining steadily for years, which is happening across the board on TV, but these events can be expensive to run. The lesson may be that there are simply too many award shows on TV right now, which could also contribute to the decline in ratings.
The AMAs, which launched in 1973, have long been a staple in the award show calendar, though they don’t mean quite what they used to. Most winners don’t show up, as the prizes can often go to names like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé. They have certainly appeared before, but the top tier acts don’t always take the time to perform–or even accept–their prizes at these types of events.
The BBMAs, on the other hand, are newer. DCP introduced the event in 1990. While the AMAs may be older and in some ways more established, Billboard as a brand is more active, so there’s more keeping that show going.
Source: News
About The Author
