Grammys third-least watched in its history

Amy Winehouse, Herbie Hancock and Kanye West didn’t provide quite enough drama to enthrall television viewers Sunday night.

Preliminary estimates indicate the Grammy Awards telecast was watched by 17.5 million people – which would make it the third least-watched Grammys ever.

The 2006 awards, with 17 million viewers, is the Grammy low point. The show had 17.3 million viewers in 1995.

Last year, 20 million people watched.

On a night filled with nods to the Grammys’ 50-year history, the most trophies went to Winehouse, a 24-year-old singer known for her old-soul voice. The most sought-after prize, for album of the year, went to veteran jazzman Hancock for his Joni Mitchell tribute disc.