The awards ceremony , with an average of 6.1 million viewers , was the least-watched VMA show since 2007 . The major factor which contributed to the drop in ratings was most likely altering the program 's broadcast date to Thursday instead of Sunday , the day MTV had been using since 2004 , with the exception of the 2006 ceremony . MTV also moved up the telecast to 8 pm instead of 9 pm , to avoid competing with President Barack Obama 's speech at the 2012 Democratic National Convention . This was somewhat early for MTV 's targeted audience . '' ' Best Special Effects ' '' renamed '' ' Best Visual Effects '' '
2012 Democratic National Convention
2012 Democratic National Convention
2012 MTV Video Music Awards