Yahoo Finance Emmy Award ratings surprise to the upside, boosted by big wins from 'The Crown,' 'Ted Lasso'
Television ratings for Sunday night's 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards survived another record-low — contrary to expectations and the recent history of other awards shows.
According to the latest numbers from Nielsen, the Emmys snagged 7.4 million viewers on Sunday — a 16% jump from the roughly 6.1 million people who watched last year's show on ABC and the highest number since 2018's ceremony, which saw 10.2 million viewers tune in on NBC.
Still, with the Emmys simultaneously broadcasting on both a major cable network (CBS) and streaming service Paramount+, signups and streaming viewership will be critical when it comes to analyzing the show's overall performance.
As of Monday afternoon, no streaming data has been revealed, although sources told Deadline the streaming figures were on the strong side.
The in-person event, which was held under an an air-conditioned tent in Los Angeles, required that all attendees show a negative COVID-19 test, in addition to proof of vaccination — a first for any major award show.
Netflix finally tops HBO
Streamers dominated the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards with Netflix's "The Crown" (NFLX) and "The Queen's Gambit," along with Apple TV+'s "Ted Lasso" (AAPL) emerging as the night's top winners.
Netflix, which has consistently lost Emmys to powerhouse network HBO (T), finally came out on top with a whopping 44 total wins. That ties the Emmys record for most wins in a single year, which was last set by CBS in 1974.
"The Crown" and "The Queen's Gambit" — both Netflix originals — tied for the top performing show of the night. Each series walked away with 11 wins, including Best Drama for "The Crown" and Best Limited Series for "The Queen's Gambit."
Following Netflix was longtime rival HBO (along with its fledging streaming service HBO Max) with 19 wins. Two-year old Disney+ (DIS) came in third with 14 wins, led by cult-favorite "The Mandalorian," which secured 7.
In fourth place was Apple TV+ (AAPL). The streamer, which has lagged behind its competitors in terms of content quantity and sign-ups, earned 10 awards — largely thanks to breakout comedy series "Ted Lasso."
The Jason Sudeikis-led show walked away with 7 total wins, including Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor and, one of the night's top honors, Best Comedy.
Traditional cable network NBC (CMCSA) rounded out the top five with 8 wins, led entirely by "Saturday Night Live."
Other notable wins included Jean Smart winning Best Actress for her role in the HBO comedy series "Hacks," along with Kate Winslet beating out "Queen's Gambit" star Anya Taylor-Joy to win Best Actress in the miniseries category.
Alexandra is a producer & entertainment Correspondent at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @alliecanal8193
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