Madonna was ready to open the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday. The Cowboys and Ravens needed a few more minutes first.
The NFL game ran into the awards show’s scheduled 7:30 p.m. Eastern start on CBS. The VMAs did not begin until about 7:51, a 21-minute delay, according to Entertainment Weekly.
MTV acknowledged the hold on social media shortly after the scheduled start, telling viewers the live show would begin after the football game finished. The broadcast was also set to air on MTV and stream on Paramount+.
That left a music awards show built around big entrances waiting for the final moments of Ravens-Cowboys. Baltimore won 34-31, and then the attention could turn to the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
Madonna eventually opened the VMAs with songs from Confessions II. Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX, Seth Rogen and others joined the performance. She entered the night with 13 nominations, so the delay pushed back one of the show’s main attractions.
Anyone tuning in strictly for the VMAs got an unscheduled dose of football. Anyone watching the game got to see its finish without CBS cutting away for a red carpet or an opening number.
Live television has its own pecking order when an NFL game runs long. On this particular Sunday, even Madonna had to wait for the clock to hit zero.
