Emmys break viewership records with 6.87 million, largest audience in three years

Emmys break viewership record

The Emmys on ABC attracted an average of 6.87 million viewers on Sunday night, marking a significant 54% increase from the record-low 4.3 million viewers who tuned in for the January ceremony on Fox. The 76th Emmys broadcast also achieved a 1.02 rating in the key adults 18-49 demographic, up 17% from the previous 0.87 rating.

This year's telecast was the most-watched Emmys in three years, surpassing the 2021 CBS broadcast and beating ABC’s previous airing in 2020, which had drawn 6.39 million viewers. The January Emmys faced challenges due to the Hollywood strikes and competition from an NFL playoff game, leading to lower viewership. In contrast, the September 2022 Emmys had attracted 5.9 million viewers, which was considered disappointing at the time.

Sunday's show, despite competing with a lower-profile NFL game between the Texans and Bears, benefited from the recent resolution of Disney’s dispute with DirecTV, which had initially raised concerns about potential viewership impacts.

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While Variety critic Alison Herman described the Emmys as a “drab” and “relatively muted affair,” noting the difficulties of staging an awards show twice in one year and reflecting on a less vibrant period in TV history, the ceremony did have notable achievements. It set records for the most wins in a single year by a series ("Shogun" with 18) and by a comedy ("The Bear" with 11), and concluded with Max’s “Hacks” winning Best Comedy Series.

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Overall, the increase in viewership signals a positive trend for awards shows, with earlier indications of improvement also seen for the Oscars on ABC.