Brit Beat: BRIT Awards Boss Hopes for ‘Higher Representation of Women’; Wet Leg’s Label Looks at Longue-Term Success
variety.comJem Aswad Senior Music Editor On the morning after the BRIT Awards the night before, the U.K. music industry generally opts for a long lie-in.
But 2023 BRITs chairman Damian Christian was up early – despite it being a Sunday – to receive an email from ITV bosses telling him that the show had posted “great numbers.” The telecast peaked at 3.9 million viewers, up from 2.7 million last year, with a further 1.2 million streams of the show on streaming service ITVX.
The ceremony also scored its highest share (54%) of 16-34-year-old viewers in more than a decade, confirming the big move to Saturday night had paid off. “Although it was great getting the Saturday night, there was still no guarantee people were going to watch it,” Christian tells Variety in an exclusive interview. “For us to do a show for two hours, full of music and for everyone to engage with it is a massive result.” Christian says he will be pushing for the move to Saturdays to be made permanent, with discussions about 2024’s event due to take place over the coming weeks.
The ratings success comes after the run-up to the event was over-shadowed by rows about the all-male shortlist for artist of the year and the absence of R&B artists on the best pop/R&B act shortlist.
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