The 76th Primetime Emmy Awards scored an average of 6.87 million viewers Sunday on ABC, a significant increase over the trophy show’s recent doldrums and the best showing since 2021, according to Nielsen.
The evening ceremony at the Peacock Theater in downtown L.A. was the second go-around for the Television Academy in nine months. The 75th Primetime Emmy Awards were held in January after being delayed by the dual writers’ and actors’ strikes of last year. That telecast, which aired on Fox, was watched by 4.3 million viewers, an all-time low.
The delay of the last ceremony put the Emmys in the same month as the Golden Globe Awards and Critics Choice Awards, which may have made it one kudos fest too many for viewers. The telecast also faced an NFL playoff game.
The last Emmy telecast held in its traditional September time slot, in 2022, set the previous low with 5.9 million viewers.
Eugene Levy and his son Dan, who co-starred in the beloved Emmy-winning comedy “Schitt’s Creek,” were hosts of the Sunday ceremony, which saw a surprise comedy win with Max’s “Hacks” unexpectedly beating the favorite, FX’s acclaimed restaurant series “The Bear.” “The Bear,” which came in with a record 23 nominations, emerged with 11 wins, topping the record for a comedy that the series set last year.
FX also had a record-setting winner with “Shogun,” a drama set in 17th century feudal Japan, which earned 18 awards, the most of any program in a single year.
The ratings for the Emmy Awards have been battered by audience shifts in an industry that has seen viewing options proliferate in the streaming era, making mass audience hits harder to come by. Shows on the broadcast networks, which rotate carrying the ceremony, get scant attention from the voters in the Television Academy outside of late night programming.
In recent years, the Emmys program has tended to honor prestigious fare from streaming services and premium cable outlets such as HBO. But it still carries many segments that salute TV’s more culturally recognizable past.
The awards remain a valuable promotional tool to networks and streamers trying get attention for shows in a crowded marketplace.
Walt Disney Co. was the most-decorated conglomerate of the night with 60 total awards across its various brands, thanks largely to the success of FX, including Creative Arts Emmys doled out before the prime-time showcase.
Other big-winning Disney properties this awards season included Disney+’s documentary “Jim Henson Idea Man” and Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building,” starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez.
Netflix’s drama “Baby Reindeer” won for limited series, and its creator Richard Gadd won for writing and acting for a total of six awards, making it the third winningest series of the season.