'DWTS' Grammy Night Hits Season-Best 7.39M Viewers

What Happened: Grammy Night Sets a Season High

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Nov. 10 episode of 'Dancing With the Stars' — which paired contestants with Grammy-winning and -nominated songs, with live performances from Sheryl Crow, Maren Morris, and Brandy and Monica — averaged 7.39 million viewers on ABC and Disney+ in Nielsen's final same-day ratings.

That edges the season's previous high of 7.36 million set on Oct. 20. TVNewsCheck, which syndicated the report, ran the same season-best ratings finding, giving the number a second outlet.

The episode also featured a surprise elimination that narrowed the field to six couples heading into the Nov. 17 semifinal round.

Why It Is Surprising: A Rebound Nobody Expected

The striking part, as The Hollywood Reporter frames it, is that the show's ratings renaissance has now continued throughout an entire season.

Every week this season has posted ratings higher than the same week a year ago — a reversal from the long slow decline that shaped much of the franchise's recent history.

The Hollywood Reporter notes the show has 'continued the surprising ratings momentum it found in 2025,' meaning this is now a two-season trend rather than a one-off spike.

The Evidence: Viewers and the Ad-Sales Demo

The Hollywood Reporter's final numbers show 7.39 million viewers, a slight upward adjustment from 7.33 million in preliminary figures.

In the key ad sales demographic of adults 18-49, the episode reached a 1.59 rating in the finals — roughly 2.15 million viewers in that age range — up from a season-high 1.56 registered on Oct. 13.

Season-wide, The Hollywood Reporter says 'DWTS' is averaging about 6.91 million same-day viewers and a 1.48 rating in the 18-49 demo, up from 6.1 million and 1.23 at the same point last season. A week of cross-platform viewing reportedly adds more than a million viewers to those totals.

What Comes Next: Six Couples, Then the Semifinals

The stakes extend beyond bragging rights: a show beating its year-ago numbers every single week changes the value of its ad inventory in the adults 18-49 demo, where the 1.59 final rating now stands as the season benchmark.

For a broadcast network still leaning on reliable live events, The Hollywood Reporter's data suggests 'Dancing With the Stars' has quietly become one of broadcast's steadier performers — and the Disney+ simulcast means the audience keeps compounding across platforms.

Sources

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