MTV VMAs Set Record For Most Tweeted US TV Show (Excluding Sports)

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Fueled by a Kayne West filibuster, Miley Cyrus’ exhibitionism, Nicki Minaj ripping into Miley, Justin Bieber rising from the stage like a religious savior, and a whole lot of profanity-fueled spectacle, the MTV Video Music Awards set Twitter aflame over the weekend.

And when the flames died down — or did they? — the VMAs had set a record for tweets about a TV show. The show prompted 21.4 million tweets in the United States, according to Nielsen Social, more than any other show since Nielsen started tracking Twitter TV numbers in 2011.

It wasn’t quite Super Bowl numbers, but it was close. The 2014 and 2015 Super Bowls each drew more than 25 million tweets, according to the Nielsen stats, which include Twitter activity three hours before and after telecasts.

For comparison’s sake, the Grammys were the most tweeted non-sports TV event last season, with 13.4 million tweets, while the Oscars drew 5.9 million.

The VMAs, dubbed the millennials’ Super Bowl by many, surged this year on Twitter. It’s a natural effect of social superstars like Cyrus (who hosted the event in a series of barely-there outfits), Bieber, Minaj and West taking center stage in the event.

That mix — and no doubt also the general circus/trainwreck vibe — created a huge social surge. The VMA tweet total of 21.4 million was a 69 percent increase over 2014. According to Nielsen, the tweets were seen by 11.8 million people and had 676 million impressions.

Twitter activity peaked at the end of West’s 10-minute filibuster while accepting the Video Vanguard Award and (jokingly, we think) declaring his candidacy for the 2020 presidential race. It produced the most tweeted minute of the evening, at 247,525 tweets.