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Musicians Thomas Bangalter (L) and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo of Daft Punk perform onstage during the 56th GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on January 26, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. Image Credit: AFP

The Grammy Awards are a hit with television viewers, with Nielsen reporting in its preliminary ratings that 28.5 million viewers tuned in to music’s biggest night.

If the Nielsen Company’s fast national rating holds up when a more complete report is issued later on Monday, that would be a slight increase over last year’s 28.4 million viewers and the second-biggest Grammy audience since 1993.

In the age of social media, awards shows and other live programs on broadcast TV have prospered. The Grammys reached nearly 40 million people in Adele’s big year two years ago and hasn’t been below 25 million since 2009.