Britney's Bomb Boosts Viacom

Britney Spears' train wreck at Sunday's Video Music Awards was a ratings boon for Viacom's (VIAB Quote) MTV, but perhaps more important, Monday was the highest traffic day ever on the beleaguered cable network's Web site.

MTV said Tuesday that the show drew 7.1 million TV viewers, a 23% rise over last year. It was the highest-rated cable program of the year among people aged 12 to 34, evidence that the channel's hyped strategy of airing the ceremony once, rather than many times, paid off.

The solid showing came despite -- or perhaps because of -- a comeback performance from Spears that has been universally celebrated as a disaster. All the media attention garnered by the former pop tart's bomb led to huge traffic on MTV.com, with the site posting record numbers in both unique visitors and video streams. ...