Miss America TV ratings fall even further

Ratings for the Miss America Pageant continue to plummet, with Monday night’s live telecast averaging 2.4 million viewers, 20% fewer than last year, CMT reported Wednesday.

On a positive note, the cable channel said its ratings among people aged 18 to 24 were up 257% from last year, thanks in part to a two-hour reality show about the pageant that aired in the days leading up to it on CMT, VH1 and MTV.

CMT also noted that the audience for the pageant itself would be higher when repeat showings are added in.

In its last broadcast on ABC in 2004, Miss America drew 9.82 million viewers, a far cry from the 85 million who watched in 1960. The telecast averaged 3.07 million viewers in its first appearance on CMT last year.

-- Lee Margulies