The 2015 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show had its worst ratings yet. The annual fashion event dipped to a startling 32 percent this year.
In case you’re one of the ones who didn’t watch, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show aired on CBS on Tuesday, Dec. 8. It dropped over 30 percent from 2014. It could have been because the sexy lingerie show followed reruns that night.
Despite having a ratings plunge with its fashion show, CBS still fell into second place in overall ratings with a 1.7 adults 18-49 and viewers with a total of 9.1 million. The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show only received a 2.3 adults 18-49 and 6.6 million viewers , according to the Wrap .
This news may not come as a surprise to dedicated television viewers, as the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show has been on a steady decline with its key demographic over the past few years. It also went down sharply in total viewership. Last year, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show boasted a stronger 3.4 rating in the key 18-to-49-year-old demographic, with 9.1 million total viewers .
Though over 9 million people tuned it, it was still slightly less than 9.71 million viewers that watched in 2013. The sexy televised event, which took place in London then, included performances by Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, and Hozier.
Even this year’s star-studded lineup wasn’t enough to pull viewers in. This year’s fashion show included appearances by Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid. It also had included performances by Ellie Goulding, The Weeknd, and Selena Gomez.
Even Kris Jenner wasn’t enough to keep the viewers’ interest last night. The proud mother and momager joined her daughter walk the runway for the first time at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show . She attended the event with boyfriend Corey Gamble and Caitlyn Jenner.
Kris’ reaction to Kendall walking the runway reminded some viewers of Regina George’s mom from Mean Girls . Soon thereafter, many of the viewers were sharing memes of Amy Poehler as Rachel McAdams’ mother in the 2004 comedy. Some even Photshopped Kris’ head onto Amy’s body, including one Twitter user who goes by the name Tris Real.
Kris Jenner reminds me of the mom off mean girls during the VS fashion show pic.twitter.com/b5onxXpJSk
— kaitlin banta? (@kaitlinbanta) December 9, 2015
But it was NBC that ruled the night in ratings with a 2.3 adults 18-49 and 10.5 million viewers. The Voice earned a 2.7 adults 18-49 and total 12.9 million viewers. Chicago Med received a 2.1 18-49 and 9.6 million viewers, while spin-off Chicago Fire came in with 2.0 18-49 and 9.1 million viewers.
ABC came in at third place with its 1.1 adults 18-49 and 3.4 million viewers. The Muppets had 1.1 adults 18-49 and 3.8 million viewers. Fresh Off the Boat had a strong 1.2 adults 18-49 and 3.9 million viewers. Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD received a 1.3 adults 18-49 and 3.8 million viewers, and then at repeat followed the hit show.
As for Victoria’s Secret, maybe the brand show stuck to what works for them: social media. The hour-long fashion show is just one of the strategic marketing tools that the company uses around the holiday season. The brand also uses its supermodels and social media to get the word out about its products to its key demographic, according to Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at the NPD Group.
“It’s an event that happens once a year and one of those that you want to talk about. This is a highly social, digital event that will reverberate for weeks to come.”
Many of the models in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show have shared photos with their millions of fans on their Instagram and Twitter accounts. Most of their fans, who are young women, are willing to buy whatever they’re wearing, according to Sam Aldenton, associate digital director at WGSN.
“It’s not just girls in their underwear. They see these models on Instagram and say, ‘I want to buy that bra or swimwear they’re wearing.’”
Despite declining mall traffic and television ratings, Victoria’s Secret is performing strong in its stores and catalogs, along with its online store. Did you watch the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show on Tuesday night? Sound off below in the comments section.
[Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Victoria’s Secret]