Tony Awards draw best audience in 6 years for CBS

NEW YORK (AP) — The Tony Awards on Sunday lured 4.85 million viewers to CBS, its largest broadcast audience in six years, according to Nielsen’s data.

CBS said Monday the telecast — hosted by “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo — scored a 38% increase over last year’s 3.53 million viewers.

That’s the largest audience for the Tonys since 2019, when the telecast that year nabbed 5.4 million viewers and “ Hadestown ” was crowned best new musical. The latest version also had to compete with the second game of the NBA Finals, between the Thunder and Pacers,

CBS also said the awards show drew its largest ever streaming audience on Paramount+ but did not disclose streaming viewership numbers, only saying it was up 208% from last year.

“Maybe Happy Ending,” a rom-com about androids that crackles with humanity won best new musical on a night when Kara Young made history as the first Black person to win two Tonys consecutively for “Purpose,” which also won best new play.

Interest in the Tonys may also have been fueled by the competition in the best lead actress in a musical category, with Audra McDonald gunning for her record-setting seventh Tony and Nicole Scherzinger of “Sunset Blvd.” hoping to be crowned a legitimate Broadway diva after a career in the pop group Pussycat Dolls and as a TV talent show judge.

Other Hollywood names included in the telecast included George Clooney making his Broadway debut and “Succession” star Sarah Snook being named best leading actress in a play for “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” a one-woman show.