ARIAs draw 417k overnights on TV, still trending on social media

The ARIA Awards on Nine last night (November 27) drew 417,000 overnight metro viewers but scored a win on social media.

It was the lowest TV ratings for the show for some years and a 16% drop from last year.

The TV broadcast pulled 500,000 in 2018, 515,000 in 2017 and 585,000 in 2016.

However, it topped its two key demographics, the 18—34 and 16—39 age groups.

Official streaming figures from the show’s co-partner YouTube were not immediately available.

On social media, the awards were trending in the US and Australia, at #1 in Australia for four hours.

All the performances were live on YouTube after the show, and generated a quarter of a million views in the first few hours.

The official #ARIAs hashtag had 12,000 tweets and were top trending during the show.

The continued social media interest is understandable. Every five or six years, the ARIAs are dominated by first-timers.

You could sense the exhilaration in the room and during the broadcast.

Not only was the torch being passed, but the winners were wide-eyed about actually being there.

Tones & I recalled last night of sitting in her van in Byron Bay last year watching the show and thinking of her chances, “No way”.

Each time she came up to the winner’s podium she apologised that she’d only written one speech, got flustered during one instance when she spotted Halsey in the audience.

“All I wanted was to get played once on triple j and play a 200 cap club.”

Thelma Plum remembered watching Delta Goodrem triumphing one year looking like a goddess, and wanting to be on that stage one day herself.

Amyl & The Sniffers were so overwhelmed at being given their trophy by Aggro the puppet. “I fucking love ya Aggro!” singer Amy Taylor yelped while in their speech they jokingly thanked “Gucci for dressing our K-mart arses”.

The Teskey Brothers told the audience that they’d always wondered if ARIA winners knew of their win beforehand “and we can confirm that’s not the case”.

There will be very interesting sales spikes as a result of mainstream Australia discovering some acts.

The Teskeys were one, especially after a performance that could only be described as “stunning”, dripping with utter emotion.

An editorial on the state of Australian hip hop was consolidated by wins for Sampa The Great and for exposure for Illy and Ecca Vandal who joined the Hilltop Hoods during their performance.

The preamble to the best female category showed the nominees verbally high-fiving each other, and expressing the joy of being accepted for being individuals.

Tones & I said as she picked up best female: “No one could have ever prepared me for the whole world judging me and comparing to other artists.

“But what’s most important is that you have to be a good person and care about others and carry yourself well.

“Thank you to Australia for letting me know that I’m OK just the way that I am.”

Guy Sebastian proved a strong host with a strong strike rate with his one-liners and routines, and Nine’s production standards were of high quality and sympathetic to each live number, (give or take a few broadcast glitches).

Given the number of first-time winners, it was disappointing no-one bothered to thank community radio or the street press which boosted their careers, and only Hilltop Hoods bothered to thank their road crew.