Emmys Viewership Up 16 Percent From Last Year

More than seven million people watched the 73rd Emmy Awards on Sunday, a 16 percent increase from last year, according to Nielsen’s initial data.

The show was up to 7.4 million viewers, a significant rebound from the record low 6.3 million people who watched last year’s Emmys.

This year’s Emmys, hosted by Cedric The Entertainer and aired on CBS, was scaled back and held inside a tent in Los Angeles instead of at the city’s Microsoft Theater, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham and Brett Goldstein each won their first Emmy at the awards. Those three star in Ted Lasso, which led the field with 20 nominations, a record for a show after one season. The Apple TV+ show, which is about a college football coach who goes to England to manage a soccer team despite having no experience coaching soccer, won four awards. The second season of the show will become available on Friday with the finale available on Oct. 8. It has already been renewed for a fourth season.

For the first time, Netflix won the most Emmys. NBC’s Saturday Night Live won four Emmys that included its fifth straight win in the Variety Sketch Series category. Netflix’s The Crown took home eight Emmys, including for Best Drama, while The Queen’s Gambit, also on Netflix, won Best Limited Series.