Emmys Hit 7.4 Million Viewers, Most-Watched Ceremony Since 2021

CBS‘s telecast of the 77th Emmy Awards brought in 7.4 million viewers on Sunday night.

That average marks an 8% increase from the 6.9 million viewers achieved by last year’s ceremony, which aired on ABC in September 2024, and the most-watched Emmys since 2021.

CBS has two reasons to celebrate: Not only was last night’s show a ratings success, but the previous peak in 2021 (also 7.4 million viewers) was the last time the Emmys aired on the network, meaning NBC, Fox and ABC were all unable to beat it during the years in between. This year’s total comes from Nielsen’s measurement of linear viewers on CBS and live streams on Paramount+, which has seen major growth since the last time CBS was home to the Emmys. The company notes that live streaming views were up 76% compared to 2021.

Besides the Emmys, the biggest viewership draw on the air Sunday night was NBC’s airing of the NFL game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Minnesota Vikings, though a September football game wouldn’t make as fierce a competitor as the January playoff game that the 75th Emmys aired against in January 2024. That ceremony, postponed from its original September 2023 slot due to the Hollywood strikes, marked a record low for the Emmys, hence the dramatic 54% increase achieved by the ceremony that followed eight months later.

Nate Bargatze hosted the 2025 Emmys ceremony, during which top honors went to “The Studio,” “The Pitt” and “Adolescence” for the outstanding comedy, drama and limited series awards, respectively. “The Studio” was the winningest show of the year, taking home 13 Emmys total. See the full list of winners here.