2017 MTV Video Music Awards Betting Odds

–The 2017 MTV Video Music Awards will be the thirty-second annual presentation.

–The 2016 Video Music Awards drew the smallest audience in the show’s history.

–The 2017 Video Music Awards will take place on August 27, 2017.

The MTV Video Music Awards soldiers on although much like the network in which it airs its place in the new world of digital content is dubious at best. The show abandoned any pretense of being ‘edgy’ or outside of the nexus of the mainstream corporate music industry. Today, it’s much like the Grammy Awards–the same ‘mainstream’ artists win award after award as an ever shrinking ‘lowest common denominator’ audience looks on.

It’s amazing how quickly and how decisively the VMA’s audience has declined. In 2011 the show did a 10.8 rating with a viewership of 12.4 million. In 2012, the show did a 2.8 rating with just 6.13 million viewers. At least the network had an excuse that year–the party line was that the rescheduling of the show from 9 PM to 8 PM to avoid conflict with President Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention. Unfortunately, the decline has continued and there are no more excuses. The VMA’s rebounded in 2013 with a 7.8 rating and a viewership of 10.1 million though that was two points and over 2 million viewers less than 2011.

MTV VMA VIEWERSHIP IN FREEFALL

Since then the bottom has fallen out. In 2014, the VMA’s lost nearly 2 million more viewers and in 2015 they lost over 3 million more. This happened despite a tactical move to beef up viewership–the VMA’s were shown on all of MTV’s ‘sister networks’. The bleeding continued in 2016 with the audience dropping to 3.3 million. If there is one mitigating factor the viewership on alternate platforms is decent but the reality is that over 9 million fewer viewers watched the VMAs on MTV last year than they did in 2011.

MTV remains committed to the VMA’s though have suggested that ‘changes might be necessary’ due to ‘audience shift’. It’s the same ‘audience shift’ that has resulted in the Emmy Awards’ viewership declining year after year but the bad news for MTV is the same–the audience has ‘shifted’ and they’re not coming back. MTV may survive in some form or another but the entire concept of ‘consensus television’ is over. There are too many options both in terms of content available to the consumer and viewing methods at their disposal.

The 2017 MTV Video Music Awards will air live from The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. on Sunday, August 27 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Here are the betting odds on the full card of awards categories:

2017 MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS BETTING ODDS

TO WIN THE MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARD FOR ‘VIDEO OF THE YEAR’

Kendrick Lamar/HUMBLE: -145
Bruno Mars/24K Magic: +350
Alessia Cara/Scars To Your Beautiful: +500
DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller/Wild Thoughts: +500
The Weeknd/Reminder: +750

TO WIN THE MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARD FOR ‘ARTIST OF THE YEAR’

Kendrick Lamar: +180
Ariana Grande: +300
Bruno Mars: +450
Ed Sheeran: +450
Lorde: +500
The Weeknd: +750

TO WIN THE MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARD FOR ‘BEST NEW ARTIST’

Khalid: +215
SZA: +250
Julia Michaels: +350
Young M.A: +500
Kodak Black: +600
Noah Cyrus: +750

TO WIN THE MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARD FOR ‘BEST COLLABORATION’

The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey/Closer: +175
DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller/Wild Thoughts: +250
Zayn & Taylor Swift/I Don’t Wanna Live Forever: +350
D.R.A.M. ft. Lil Yachty/Broccoli: +550
Calvin Harris ft. Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry & Big Sean/Feels: +750
Charlie Puth ft. Selena Gomez/We Don’t Talk Anymore: +750

TO WIN THE MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARD FOR ‘BEST POP VIDEO’

Ed Sheeran/Shape of You: +175
Harry Styles/Sign Of The Times: +350
Shawn Mendes/Treat You Better: +350
Fifth Harmony ft. Gucci Mane/Down: +500
Miley Cyrus/Malibu: +600
Katy Perry ft. Skip Marley/Chained To The Rhythm: +600

TO WIN THE MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARD FOR ‘BEST HIP HOP VIDEO’

Kendrick Lamar/HUMBLE: -135
DJ Khaled ft. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper & Lil Wayne/I’m The One: +450
Big Sean/Bounce Back: +450
Chance the Rapper/Same Drugs: +650
D.R.A.M. ft. Lil Yachty/Broccoli: +950
Migos ft. Lil Uzi Vert/Bad & Boujee: +950

TO WIN THE MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARD FOR ‘BEST DANCE VIDEO’

Zedd and Alessia Cara/Stay: -115
Kygo x Selena Gomez/It Ain’t Me: +350
Calvin Harris/My Way: +350
Major Lazer ft. Justin Bieber and MØ/Cold Water: +600
Afrojack ft. Ty Dolla $ign/Gone: +600

TO WIN THE MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARD FOR ‘BEST ROCK VIDEO’

Coldplay/A Head Full of Dreams: +125
Twenty One Pilots/Heavydirtysoul: +150
Green Day/Bang Bang: +450
Fall Out Boy/Young And Menace: +750
Foo Fighters/Run: +750

TO WIN THE MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARD FOR ‘BEST FIGHT AGAINST THE SYSTEM’

The Hamilton Mixtape/Immigrants (We Get the Job Done): +125
Alessia Cara/Scars To Your Beautiful: +300
Logic ft. Damian Lemar Hudson/Black SpiderMan: +500
Big Sean/Light: +500
Taboo ft. Shailene Woodley/Stand Up / Stand N Rock #NoDAPL: +750
John Legend/Surefire: +750

TO WIN THE MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARD FOR ‘BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY’

Kendrick Lamar/HUMBLE: -125
Imagine Dragons/Thunder: +350
Ed Sheeran/Castle On The Hill: +450
DJ Shadow ft. Run The Jewels/Nobody Speak: +450
Halsey/Now or Never: +750

TO WIN THE MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARD FOR ‘BEST DIRECTION’

Kendrick Lamar/HUMBLE: -150
Katy Perry ft. Skip Marley/Chained To The Rhythm: +350
Bruno Mars/24K Magic: +450
Alessia Cara/Scars To Your Beautiful: +700
The Weeknd/Reminder: +700

TO WIN THE MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARD FOR ‘BEST ART DIRECTION’

Bruno Mars/24K Magic: +135
Kendrick Lamar/HUMBLE: +250
Katy Perry ft. Migos/Bon Appetit: +250
DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller/Wild Thoughts: +700
The Weeknd/Reminder: +700

TO WIN THE MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARD FOR ‘BEST VISUAL EFFECTS’

Kendrick Lamar/HUMBLE: -150
A Tribe Called Quest/Dis Generation: +450
KYLE ft. Lil Yachty/iSpy: +450
Katy Perry ft. Skip Marley/Chained To The Rhythm: +600
Harry Styles/Sign Of The Times: +600

TO WIN THE MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARD FOR ‘BEST CHOREOGRAPHY’

Sia/The Greatest: +105
Ariana Grande ft. Nicki Minaj/Side To Side: +300
Kanye West/Fade: +300
Kendrick Lamar/HUMBLE: +650
Fifth Harmony ft. Gucci Mane/Down: +650

TO WIN THE MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARD FOR ‘BEST EDITING’

Lorde/Green Light: +150
The Weeknd/Reminder: +250
Future/Mask Off: +300
The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey/Closer: +450
Young Thug/Wyclef Jean: +600

About the Author: Jim Murphy

For more than 25 years, Jim Murphy has written extensively on sports betting as well as handicapping theory and practice. Jim Murphy has been quoted in media from the Wall Street Journal to REASON Magazine. Murphy worked as a radio and podcasting host broadcasting to an international audience that depended on his expertise and advice. Murphy is an odds making consultant for sports and 'non-sport novelty bets' focused on the entertainment business, politics, technology, financial markets and more.