Emmy Awards ratings up 8% with CBS audience of 7.4 million
The Emmy Awards have seen a ratings boost as the television industry aims to recover from recent disruptions
Bryan Cranston, right, presents the award for outstanding talk series to Stephen Colbert, left, for "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" during the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ratings for the Emmy Awards have continued their climb from all-time lows as the television industry looks to shake off the shake-ups of recent years.
About 7.42 million viewers tuned in to watch the Nate Bargatze-hosted 77th Primetime Emmy Awards on CBS, according to Nielsen company data released Monday by the network. The night's big winners were “The Studio,” “Adolescence” and “The Pitt” and a huge outpouring of support for late-night host Stephen Colbert.
It was the most-watched Emmys telecast since 2021, and was up 8% from the 6.87 million that watched the “Shogun”-dominated ABC telecast in September 2024.
Sunday's show was up more than 70% from the -time low of 4.3 million from the Fox telecast of January 2024, which was delayed by months because of Hollywood’s writers and actors strikes.
The pandemic brought its own all-time low. The Emmys in 2020 on ABC, with no in-person audience and remote nominees attracted 6.1 million viewers. The show bounced back the following year with 7.4 million for CBS with help from an NFL game lead-in.
But NBC’s 2022 telecast dropped to 5.9 million, followed by the further dip in early 2024.
The Emmys telecast rotates annually between the four broadcast networks.
The last Emmys to reach more than 10 million viewers was 2018, when it drew in 10.2 million. The show had nearly 22 million viewers in 2000, a level it’s unlikely ever to hit again.
