The Emmy Awards drew 7.4 million viewers on Sunday night, 8 percent higher than the year before and the biggest figure for the event in four years, according to preliminary data from Nielsen.
The show, which broadcast on CBS and streamed on Paramount+, featured a showdown for best drama between “The Pitt” and “Severance,” two shows that qualified as Nielsen streaming hits, which may have helped the cause. “The Pitt” ultimately won for best drama, and the show’s star, Noah Wyle, won his first Emmy for best actor in a drama.
The awards show has rebounded from recent lows. In January 2024, the strike-delayed Emmys notched just over four million viewers, an alarming fall that put the event in the same ratings neighborhood as the Tony Awards.
The popularity of streaming the Emmys probably also contributed a bump. Viewership on Paramount+ was up 76 percent from 2021, according to CBS and Paramount+.
The ratings upswing should be a shot in the arm for the Television Academy, which administers the awards. After next year, distribution rights to the Emmys will be up for grabs. For the last three decades, the broadcast rights have rotated on a yearly basis between the four networks (next year will be NBC’s turn).
But given how poorly the broadcast networks perform at the Emmys in the streaming era — they managed only a handful of wins on Sunday night — it’s an open question whether they will be interested in bidding on the show. Streaming services like Netflix have recently shown a much greater interest in airing live events.
The Emmys were hosted by Nate Bargatze, who received generally poor reviews from critics. Variety called him “uninspiring” and The Hollywood Reporter said he was “flat.”
John Koblin covers the television industry for The Times.
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