Victoria's Secret Fashion Show hits rock bottom ratings

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Dec 5, 2018

The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show has hit a record low in TV ratings, with this year's show garnering an audience of 3.27 million viewers, compared to last year's total of 5.37 million; the spectacle's then-rock bottom. A far cry from the show's peak of 10.3 million viewers in 2011. 

According to the Nielsen company, this year's viewership was the lowest since the lingerie show first shifted to become a holiday event in 2001, the year of its broadcast debut on ABC. 

​These results come as the lingerie label continues to be steeped in controversy and falling sales. The brand experienced massive backlash after Ed Razek, the chief marketing officer of Victoria's Secret parent company L Brands, said the show wouldn't cast plus-sized or transgendered models. Shortly after, Jan Singer exited Victoria's Secret as CEO. The company has since announced that Singer will be replaced by John Mehas.

Over the past year, Victoria's Secret has continued to struggle to effectively turn its fortunes around, consistently reporting disappointing sales figures, while leaving L Brands' other major subsidiary Bath & Body Works to buoy its parent company's financial results. 

Indeed, market trends suggest that the lingerie company's brand image has become stale, with labels like ThirdLove gaining followers for positioning themselves as the exact opposite of what they have previously described as Victoria's Secret's "male fantasy."

After years of being broadcast on CBS, this year's Victoria's Secret show returned to ABC following last year's poor performance. The show could also be viewed on video streaming service Hayu. Featured models included Bella and Gigi Hadid, as well as Kendall Jenner, and the show marked the last VS walk for the brand's mainstay model Adriana Lima. Performers included Shawn Mendes, Halsey and Rita Ora, among others. 

ABC has made no comment on the show's low ratings, or its future on the network.