The MTV Video Music Award for Viewer's Choice has long been a cornerstone of the annual ceremony, directly engaging the audience in recognizing their favorite music videos. First introduced at the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards in 1984, this award was designed to give fans a voice in the accolades. Over the years, its structure and voting mechanisms evolved, reflecting changes in technology and audience participation, but its core purpose remained
the same: to celebrate the videos that resonated most with the public.
Evolution of the Viewer's Choice Award
For the first decade of its existence, up until 1994, the Viewer's Choice award nominees were identical to those for the prestigious Video of the Year category. This meant that the public's choice was drawn from the same pool of videos deemed by critics and industry professionals to be the year's best. This system allowed for direct comparisons between critical acclaim and popular appeal, as exemplified by Aerosmith's "Cryin'" in 1994, which won both awards.
However, a significant change occurred in 1995 when MTV decided to create a separate set of nominees specifically for the Viewer's Choice award. This shift allowed for a broader range of videos to be considered by the public, potentially highlighting videos that might not have been nominated for Video of the Year but still held immense popularity among viewers. Despite this change, there were still instances where a single video, such as TLC's "Waterfalls" in 1995, managed to win both the Viewer's Choice and Video of the Year awards, demonstrating its widespread impact.
Audience Participation and Award Discontinuation
As its name clearly indicated, the winner of the Viewer's Choice award was determined by audience members. Initially, voting was conducted via phone calls, a common method for audience engagement in the early days of television. As technology advanced, the voting methods expanded to include internet votes and, later, text messages, making it increasingly accessible for fans to participate right up until the night of the show.
The Viewer's Choice award was last presented at the 2006 ceremony. Its discontinuation came as all general categories at the VMAs transitioned to being fan-voted, seemingly rendering a dedicated Viewer's Choice award redundant. The following year, MTV revamped the VMAs, and while the Viewer's Choice award itself was eliminated, its voting procedures were permanently transferred over to the Best New Artist award, ensuring that audience input continued to play a crucial role in recognizing emerging talent.
Notable Winners and Shared Victories
Throughout its history, Aerosmith emerged as the most successful artist in the Viewer's Choice category, having won the award three times. Their victories, including "Cryin'" in 1994, showcased their consistent ability to connect with the MTV audience. Beyond Aerosmith, only four acts in total—INXS, Aerosmith, TLC, and Green Day—have achieved the rare distinction of winning both the Video of the Year and Viewer's Choice awards in the same year. It is worth noting that Green Day accomplished this feat with different videos in 2005, highlighting the unique nature of the other artists' single-video double wins. These instances underscore the significant impact these videos had on both critics and the viewing public.
