Which Grammy ceremony was the first to be broadcast live on television?

The 13th Grammy Awards were the first Grammy ceremony broadcast live on television. The event took place on March 16, 1971, and was televised by ABC from the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles.

Before that broadcast, the Grammys were presented as industry ceremonies without a regular live television audience. Television changed the event’s scale and public identity, allowing viewers to see performances, acceptance speeches, and the presentation of major awards in real time.

The 13th ceremony was hosted by Andy Williams, who would host the Grammys several times. Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge over Troubled Water” dominated the awards, winning Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year, among other honors.

The first broadcast is sometimes confused with the ceremony’s first nationally televised presentation in general, but the key milestone is that the 1971 event was broadcast live. Later ceremonies became increasingly elaborate productions combining competitive awards with major performances.