Ratings: Tony Awards Broadcast Flirts With Record Lows

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 6/8/15 at 12:06pm

Pathetic. I am surprised, but grateful, that CBS still holds onto this broadcast. Any advertiser would grimace at these demo and viewership numbers. 

 

Broadway may have had a record-setting year at the box office, but that didn’t translate to viewers for the Tony Awards on CBS, as Sunday’s telecast — opposite ABC’s dominant coverage of the NBA Finals — delivered one of the event’s smallest audiences ever.

According to preliminary national estimates from Nielsen, the “69th Annual Tony Awards” averaged a 0.9 rating/3 share in adults 18-49 and 6.35 million viewers overall on CBS from 8 to 11. It was down 25% in the demo (from 1.2 rating) and 9% in total viewers (7.05 million) from last year. This is the lowest-ever demo rating for the kudocast (though it could round up to a 1.0 in the nationals, which would match the score for 2012), but it managed to avoid an outright record-low in total viewership, which remains the 6.01 million who watched in 2012; 2007 (6.22 million) and 2008 (6.27 million) were also lower than last night’s 6.4 million.

Variety: Tony Awards Ratings Flirt With Record Lows

 

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/8/15 at 12:35pm

PATHETIC!

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/8/15 at 12:36pm

Thanl god for the Thnak You CBS thread so its worth there while.

[tazber]

Posted: 6/8/15 at 12:36pm

It's still bigger than the Super Bowl or the Oscars though.

Updated On: 6/8/15 at 12:36 PM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/8/15 at 12:37pm

And puppy bowel.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/8/15 at 12:39pm

I blame NPH.  Since he sang it wasn't just for gays it took the subversiveness of it out.  Now the Tonys are gentrified just like all gay people. 

[tazber]

Posted: 6/8/15 at 12:39pm

But not the Kitten Bowl.

Of course they have hedgehogs for referees so it's not really a fair comparison.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/8/15 at 12:43pm

Apples and hedgehogs.

[loliveve]

Posted: 6/8/15 at 12:54pm

I wonder if the lower ratings have to do with the delayed broadcast to the West Coast. I mean, last night I "watched" live on a stream for the most part, and then only tuned in to the actual broadcast on CA for about 30 minutes of my favorite parts that I wanted to see on a bigger (and clearer) screen. I can't imagine that I'm the only only one who did that  

I think if CBS wants the higher ratings, it should be live for the whole country.

[jv92]

Posted: 6/8/15 at 12:55pm

Hey, I almost felt like turning off the TV a few times. It was an awful, awful ceremony. I can't entirely blame the hosts, though. What terrible writing. Even if it means an endless retread of old George Costanza jokes from twenty years ago, get Larry David next year. I'd rather that than endless squeals of "JOOOSH GROBAN!" and Chenoweth dressed as an extraterrestrial. 

 

 

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 6/8/15 at 12:57pm

^ agreed

[bdn223]

Posted: 6/8/15 at 1:00pm

People forget that the ratings for the Tony's are known to be abysmal, and CBS has accepted that fact. Still the Tony Awards are a big money maker for CBS, as the Tony Audience is made up of rich white people. The bread and butter of the advertising industry. CBS has said numerous times that advertising for the Tony's sells out rather quickly due to this fact, thus they do not care so much about the ratings.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/8/15 at 1:01pm

Rich white OLD people.  Headrand's only two of those things.

[jv92]

Posted: 6/8/15 at 1:01pm

Well, if CBS knows the ratings will be bad, why not just suck it up and put on a good show about the theater-- not about how horny Alan Cumming is? You know, the theater...which includes composers, lyricists, bookwriters and choreographers. 

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 6/8/15 at 1:02pm

Still the Tony Awards are a big money maker for CBS

That's just completely inaccurate. You really need to provide a source to back up this absolutely ridiculous claim. Advertisers pay for the industry key demo, not for "rich white people." 

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/8/15 at 1:03pm

You have the numbers from your entertainment aggregator job, don't you?

[philly03]

Posted: 6/8/15 at 1:05pm

I can't help but wonder what they could do to try to attract younger, now more "Hollywood" talent to try to attract some more ratings. Sure Helen Mirren and Denzel Washington types are great, but what about trying to get people who started on Broadway more involved - Anna Kendrick, Ariana Grande, etc who have a younger fan base. Having Jennifer Lopez there is confusing as there are no ties to Broadway. 

 

I like them both as performers, but Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming both have two annoying (speaking) voices for an entire evening... Esepcially together. 

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/8/15 at 1:06pm

More performances of classics that have stood the test of time!!!

 

[Fantod]

Posted: 6/8/15 at 1:15pm

What is up with you? Does everything have to be snide?

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 6/8/15 at 1:18pm

Having Jennifer Lopez there is confusing as there are no ties to Broadway.

I've read that she's performed in a couple of regional productions. Plus, she did record something on the Finding Neverland album.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/8/15 at 1:29pm

Nothing's up with me Fantod.  Some people are members of the Latin Club because they love dead languages.  Others want to find thriving new languages to speak.  One is forward looking, one is backward looking.  Both have their pleasures.

[Fantod]

Posted: 6/8/15 at 1:35pm

Who are all these people looking to speak brand new languages? 

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/8/15 at 1:36pm

Learn new languages for them.  Also, Star Trek fans.

[jnb9872]

Posted: 6/8/15 at 1:50pm

Probably more a comment on the excitement of this year's NBA Finals or anticipation for the annual climax of the year's penultimate "Game of Thrones" episode. No reason to hem and haw.

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 6/8/15 at 1:57pm

You really think the people who tuned into the NBA Finals would also tune into the Tony Awards? Hmmm.....Haawww...