The 2026 MTV VMAs were scheduled to start at 730 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT on Sunday night.
But viewers who tuned into the live simulcast show on CBS and MTV, which was also streaming on Paramount+, had to wait to see the action from inside the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
Sunday’s late NFL game between the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys, taking place from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was still going on, and had a minute left on the clock, when the show was set to begin leaving some confused CBS viewers wondering why they weren’t watching Madonna, who opened the awards ceremony with her first performance on the VMAs in more than 20 years.
Over on MTV, the channel aired what appeared to be a pretaped look back at past Video Vanguard awards recipients, hosted by Donnie Wahlberg, star of CBS’ Boston Blue. As the retrospective aired, a scrolling message at the bottom of the screen told fans the VMAs would “begin shortly.”
The Ravens and Cowboys were tied at 31 each with just seven seconds left in the game, suggesting the match-up could go into overtime. But the Ravens quickly pulled ahead and won 34-31.
Still, while at home viewers were stuck waiting, the VMAs began live right at 430 p.m. PT within Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater, with those lucky enough to be in the audience sharing their excitement over an epic performance by Madonna and Charli XCX.
Host Snoop Dogg then took the stage for a brief monologue, followed by Teyana Taylor presenting best pop, which was won by Blackpink’s Lisa.
The VMAs finally began airing on CBS and MTV and streaming on Paramount+ shortly after 4:50 p.m., more than 20 minutes after the scheduled start time. As fans at home were finally watching Madonna, in the theater, Bruno Mars was shown performing but didn’t appear to be at the ceremony in person. The delay continued throughout the broadcast, with the awards show airing roughly 20 minutes after it took place in L.A.
CBS and MTV have not commented on the delay.