2010 VMAs 3rd Most Watched

According to the Hollywood Insider, Sunday night’s MTV Video Music Awards show hosted by Chelsea Handler was the third-most watched show during its history and the number event watched all year. The article says, “An average 11.4 million viewers tuned into the Video Music Awards on Sunday… MTV says this marks the fourth consecutive year of ratings growth for the show.”

It seems to me the reason for the VMA’s growing popularity is a combination of factors, but I think the lack of music on the channel has created a void that constantly needs to be filled. The Jersey Shore reality show was debuted an hour before the show, however in the past a pre-VMA red carpet countdown was in that time slot. Could this just be clever strategy by MTV?

Are the VMAs just getting more popular because the absence of music videos on the channel just making us hungry for live music?
http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2010/09/13/