iHeartMedia and NBC announced today that the successful iHeartRadio Music Awards will return on Sunday, March 29, 2015 live on NBC from 8-11 p.m. ET/PT from the historic Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The awards will again be broadcast live simultaneously on iHeartMedia stations nationwide and across the iHeartRadio digital music platform.
The inaugural 2014 three hour iHeartRadio Music Awards telecast showcased the year’s biggest artists and songs determined by the iHeartRadio Chart and music fans nationwide. The music of the iHeartRadio app came to life at the show, with performances by recording stars Pitbull, Ariana Grande, Blake Shelton, Pharrell, Shakira, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Kendrick Lamar, Luke Bryan, Arcade Fire, Ed Sheeran, Bastille and Usher – in a world premiere performance of the new Michael Jackson song “Love Never Felt So Good.”
Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Imagine Dragons, Chris Martin, Lorde, Lil Jon, Hilary Duff, Joe Manganiello, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, Juanes, Bobby Bones, Steven Tyler, Lady Gaga, Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Seacrest, Selena Gomez, Lionel Richie, Oprah Winfrey and more made special guest appearances.
The 2014 iHeartRadio Music Awards drew an audience of more than 5.5 million which was up 86 percent vs. the time period average, a significant increase for NBC in the 10 p.m. hour among adults 18-49.
“We are in touch with music fans 365 days a year. Last year’s inaugural iHeartRadio Music Awards was not only a ratings success, but also the beginning of a powerful new awards show franchise that accurately reflects and showcases the artists and music the American public truly loves. NBC has proven their music prowess and have become great partners on this show” said John Sykes, President of Entertainment Enterprises, iHeartMedia Inc.
“Our partners at iHeartRadio and Done + Dusted brought to life an awards show unlike any other, and we’re thrilled its returning to celebrate another great year in music through unprecedented artist performances and innovative storytelling,” said Paul Telegdy President of Alternative and Late Night Programming. “NBC continues its legacy as the home of can’t miss entertainment for music fans of all ages.”
“It’s quite staggering to think that this time last year no-one had heard of The iHeartRadio Music Awards and now the media impressions are in the billions. Couple that with the artists having so much fun last year and that’s an amazingly exciting way to go into year two,” said Ian Stewart, President of Done + Dusted Inc.
Among the many winners of the 2014 awards, as chosen by fans using hashtags to cast more than 65 million votes across Facebook and Twitter, were Rihanna for artist of the year, Lorde for best new artist, Rihanna’s “Stay” for song of the year and “Demons,” from the Imagine Dragons, for alt rock song of the year. The iHeartRadio Music Awards also generated an incredible social footprint: the award show was a dominant social media topic throughout the week of the show, with #iHeartAwards trending No. 1 on Twitter throughout the night.
More information about the 2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards including the venue, award categories and more will be announced soon.
The iHeartRadio Music Awards will be executive produced by John Sykes, Tom Poleman, Liz Kelly of iHeartMedia and Ian Stewart and Hamish Hamilton of Done and Dusted Inc., who will also produce the show for NBC Studios. Hamilton will also direct.
