Hey, Mr. Arnstein! There was no rain on the 76th annual Tony Awards’ parade.
CBS’ telecast of the Tonys, which ran from 8 to 11p.m. ET on Sunday, was watched by 4.3 million people Sunday, earning the celebration of theater its most watched show since 2019. This marks a 2% bump from last year, when 3.9 million viewers tuned in to the Tonys’ first-ever live coast-to-coast broadcast. This measurement is based on fast national data and estimated out-of-home viewership from Nielsen.
Additionally, based on first-party data from Paramount+, CBS reports that Sunday’s show was the most live-streamed show ever, with 13% streaming growth compared to last year, though exact figures were not made available. And the Tonys pre-show on Pluto TV, titled “The Tony Awards: Act One,” became the most-watched live event ever since the free ad-supported platform launched in 2013.
The 76th Tony Awards were historic for reasons beyond viewership as well.
Alex Newell and J. Harrison Ghee became the first-ever openly nonbinary performers to win Tonys, with Newell being recognized for their featured role as Lulu in the musical “Shucked” while Ghee won lead musical actor for playing Jerry/Daphne in “Some Like it Hot.”
More to come…