VMAs performances drive streaming jumps for Storm, Spiro and Madonna
The MTV Video Music Awards sent viewers straight to their playlists. The day after the 27 September show in Los Angeles, three televised performances posted sharp jumps in US streams.
The ceremony was held at the Peacock Theatre and aired live on CBS, simulcast on MTV, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. ET. The streaming lift was detailed in a post-show analysis by Andrew Unterberger for Billboard's Trending Up newsletter, using early data from Luminate, the company that tracks official on-demand plays in the United States.
The largest percentage gain belonged to GENER8ION and Yung Lean. The pair performed the "Storm II" section of their two-part song "Storm", which had been nominated for four VMAs prizes including video of the year. "Storm" earned 350,000 official on-demand US streams on 28 September. That was up 443% from 64,000 streams on the prior Monday.
Sienna Spiro turned an award and a performance into a personal best. She won best new artist and performed "Great Expectation" during the broadcast. The song drew 919,000 official on-demand US streams the next day, a new single-day high. That total was up 31% on the equivalent Monday a week earlier.
Madonna opened the show with two songs. She performed "Bring Your Love" with Sabrina Carpenter, followed by "Danceteria". Madonna had led the nominations going into this year's VMAs.
Both songs climbed the next day. "Bring Your Love" rose 65% to 102,000 official on-demand US streams compared with the same period the prior Monday. "Danceteria" rose 377% to 214,000 streams, helped by the "Afterhours" remix with Charli xcx released on the Friday before the show.
What makes this stand out is how direct the link remains between live television and listening. The gains came overnight, not over weeks of playlisting. A three-minute slot still sends people searching for the exact song they just heard.
