Brits viewing figures dropped to their lowest ever on Saturday night as many failed to tune in to the Jack Whitehall-hosted show, which was held in Manchester.
The biggest awards ceremony in British music pulled in 2.1 million viewers, more than one million less than when it first moved to a coveted Saturday night slot.
When it moved from a Tuesday to a Saturday in 2023, it was lauded a great move by fans as well as critics, as the programme drew in 3.3 million viewers.
But just three years later, the show has lost more than one million viewers as it failed to live up to the incredible ratings of yesteryear.
Viewing figures revealed that the near three-hour long show went out to just 2.1 million viewers last night, the lowest ever audience for the event.
In 2024 and 2025 the show averaged around 2.5 million viewers, which is still 400,000 more than it managed to pull last night.
However, it wasn’t all bad news for the Brits, as it did achieve the biggest 16-34 audience share of the day.
Brits viewing figures dropped to their lowest ever on Saturday night as many failed to tune in to the Jack Whitehall-hosted show which was held in Manchester
The biggest awards ceremony in British music pulled in 2.1 million viewers, more than one million less than when it first moved to a coveted Saturday night slot
It was also the biggest share of that demographic (49 per cent) since 2023.
Despite an action-packed show which included Harry Styles’ long-awaited return to stage, as well as huge performances from Rosalia, Mark Ronson and Alex Warren, some fans weren’t impressed by the night.
As well as complaining about Jack’s ‘tired posh boy shtick’, others moaned that they were ‘lost for words’ over the In Memoriam segment.
This year’s BRIT Awards paid a touching tribute to music legends lost over the past year, introduced by Tim Burgess who started off the segment with a tribute speech to English bassist Mani.
Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield died in November last year aged 63, leaving the music industry in mourning.
The Charlatans rocker told the arena: ‘Hi everyone, I’m here tonight to pay tribute to my good friend. Mani changed music and inspired generations ahead of him. These songs he recorded will be his legacy.
‘He was truly one of the phenomenal ones. I’d like you to think about Mani for a moment and we can cherish the thought that we got to experience our time and his time together. Let’s take a few moments to remember Mani.’
After Tim’s touching speech, a VT package then played with some of the other music legends lost in the last year, including Ozzy Osbourne.
After Tim’s touching speech, a VT package then played with some of the other music legends lost this year, including Ozzy Osbourne
Other names which appeared on screen included Nicky Ryan, Roberta Flack, Thommy Price, Gilson Lavis and Chris Dreja.
However, for viewers watching at home, they were left less than impressed at what was supposed to be a touching moment and flooded social media with comments.
One said: ‘What a touching tribute with some people’s names in bigger font while others are tiny and barely stay on screen more than half a second’;
‘Possibly the worst tribute segment I’ve seen at the Brits. Also is that all they’re doing for Ozzy Osbourne?! He got way more at the Grammy’s! Very poor’;
‘Is this In Memoriam section of the #BRITs a f***ing competition? Do we get points if we can read that quickly?’;
‘This is the worst tribute ever. a load of random names on a screen with about 5 clips shown through out ahahahahahhahaa wtffffff’;
‘Ouch that tribute to Mani was …. er lost for words He really deserved better’;
‘Nice tribute to Mani by Tim Burgess, before a shockingly long list of names cycle past for a sombre In Memoriam section. Sometimes it seems like the great first era of pop is fading before our very eyes. Congrats to the #BRITs for bringing this home so sensitively.’
Another blasted: ‘What the f*** kind of tribute was that.’
Meanwhile, the late Ozzy Osbourne was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award later in the ceremony.
The frontman of Black Sabbath, who passed away in July last year, was celebrated for his inimitable impact and influence on music worldwide.
The awards were closed out by an all-star rock tribute performance led by Robbie Williams, who was asked to be a part of the show personally by Ozzy’s wife Sharon as a long-standing fan of the music and a friend of the Osbourne family.
Curated by Sharon herself, it featured a special arrangement of No More Tears – the title track from Ozzy’s multi-million selling 1991 album of the same name.
Jack returned to present the ceremony for the sixth time, having previously hosted the event in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2025
The segment boasted a phenomenal line-up of British and international musical talent, featuring musicians that played as part of Ozzy’s band over the years.
Robbie was joined on stage by Ozzy’s lead guitarist Zakk Wylde as well as Adam Wakeman, Robert Trujillo and Tommy Clufetos.
The 46th edition of the BRIT Awards was launched at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena last night.
Since removing gendered categories, such as Best Male and Best Female, the ceremony has faced backlash for the low number of female artists nominated, particularly in 2023 when the Artist Of The Year shortlist was entirely male.
But 2026 has rung in the changes, with 70 percent of this year’s nominations being female or non-binary.
Comedian Jack Whitehall returned to present the ceremony for the sixth time, having previously hosted the event in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2025.
He stepped away in 2022 when Mo Gilligan took over for two ceremonies, and Maya Jama, Roman Kemp, and Clara Amfo co-hosted the event together in 2024.
It was his first time presenting in Manchester, and Whitehall, 37, credits the city as shaping his early comedy career after he studied at The University Of Manchester.
In a recent clip shared to social media titled Ode to Manchester, the TV personality showed off everything from the Curry Mile to Coronation Street.
He said: ‘I am so excited to be coming back for this very special BRIT Awards in Manchester, a place that is so important to me.
‘The city I started my comedy career in, it feels like a real full circle moment returning to host this historic night at the Co-op Live, a venue that is only a stone’s throw away from the comedy club I did my first ten-minute set in all those years ago.’
He added: ‘Hopefully I get a few more laughs than I did that night. I cannot wait.’
