Last Night’s Grammys Second Most Watched in Show's History

A lot more than just love for Adele was exemplified at last night's Grammy Awards telecast on CBS: according to Nielsen's preliminary ratings approximately 39 million viewers tuned in Sunday night, making it the second-most-watched Grammys in the show's 41-year history of live broadcast. The last time the Grammys even topped 30 million was 1988.

The Recording Academy will be happy with the news, especially with an ad spike of a reported $800,000 for a 30-second spot and a giant leap with younger viewers, averaging a 14.1 rating with those under 50 (the best in that demographic since 1990 - and up a whopping 44 percent (!) from last year).

Additionally, the telecast beat out last year's Academy Awards, typically the year's biggest show, by just over 1 million viewers.

Why such a boost? While some critics are saying curiosity over a Houston tribute gave the show a boost, the big reason is Adele's appeal. Her much-praised album 21 sold just under 6 million copies last year, making it the biggest U.S. release since Usher's 2004 Confessions.

Only Michael Jackson's 1984 Thriller Grammy sweep brought in a higher rating, with a total of 51.67 million viewers.