The 72nd Annual Tony Awards Sees Increase in Viewership from Last Year's Broadcast

CBS' broadcast of THE 72nd ANNUAL TONY AWARDS®, hosted by Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban, delivered its largest audience since 2016 and highest ratings in adults 18-49 and adults 25-54, according to Nielsen preliminary live plus same day ratings for Sunday, June 10.

From 8:00-11:00 PM, THE 72nd ANNUAL TONY AWARDS® averaged 6.32 million viewers (up +4% from 6.05m last year), 1.3/04 in adults 25-54 (up +8% from 1.2) and 1.0/04 in adults 18-49 (up +11% from 0.9).

Last night, THE 72nd ANNUAL TONY AWARDS (#TonyAwards) was the #1 trending hashtag in the U.S. Additionally, the awards show was the #1 social event on television, according to Nielsen Social Ratings. Also, overall show-related social media impressions were up +41% from last year.

The top five highest-rated metered-markets for the awards broadcast were New York (9.3/15), San Diego (7.6/15), West Palm Beach (7.1/11), Hartford-New Haven (6.7/11) and Boston (6.0/11).

This year marked the 72nd anniversary of the TONY Awards, which were first held on April 6, 1947 at the Waldorf Astoria's Grand Ballroom. The ceremony is presented by Tony AwaRD Productions, which is a joint venture of the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, which founded the Tonys.

Photo Credit: John P. Filo/CBS