Ticker: AMC hikes prices on good seats at the movies; Grammy audience bounces up 

Middle seats at many U.S. movie theaters just got more expensive.

AMC Theaters, the nation’s largest movie theater chain, on Monday unveiled a new pricing scheme in which seat location determines how much your movie ticket costs. Seats in the middle of the auditorium will cost a dollar or two more, while seats in the front row will be slightly cheaper.

AMC said the pricing plan, dubbed “Sightline,” has already been rolled out in some locations and, by the end of the year, will be in place at all domestic AMC theaters during showings after 4 p.m.

Seats classified as “standard sightline” will be at the regular price. If you want to pay less for the “value sightline” seats, you have to be a member of the chain’s subscription service, AMC Stubs.

As movie theaters have attempted to recover from the pandemic, exhibitors have increasingly looked at more variable pricing methods, including charging more for blockbusters like “The Batman” in the first week of release.

Grammy audience bounces up

An estimated 12.4 million people tuned in to watch stars Harry Styles, Lizzo and Bad Bunny perform at the Grammy Awards, along with a tribute to 50 years of rap history.

That’s up from the pandemic-affected broadcasts of the last two years, the Nielsen company said on Monday. Live viewership was 8.8 million in 2021 and 8.9 million in 2022.

While the Grammys bounced back, it didn’t reach the viewership levels of pre-COVID days. Music’s showcase night was seen by 18.7 million people in 2020.

Live television viewership has declined across-the-board over the past few years, with pro football one of the few events to buck the trend.