NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� The lured 4.85 million viewers to CBS, its largest broadcast audience in six years, according to Nielsen鈥檚 data.
CBS said Monday the telecast 鈥� hosted by 鈥� 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 鈥� 鈥� 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.
a rom-com about androids that crackles with humanity won best new musical on a night when made history as the first Black person to win two Tonys consecutively for 鈥淧urpose,鈥� 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 of 鈥淪unset Blvd.鈥� 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 making his Broadway debut and 鈥淪uccession鈥� star being named best leading actress in a play for 鈥淭he Picture of Dorian Gray,鈥� a one-woman show.
Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
