79th Tony Awards Viewership Dips Slightly From 2025, Drawing 5.06 Million Viewers

The 2026 Tony Awards achieved an impressive 5.06 million viewers on Sunday, very slightly down from the 78th Tonys in 2025.

According to data shared by the TV Ratings Guide, the CBS ratings were less than a 1% decrease (.78% to be precise) from the 2025 telecast, based on preliminary reports of home viewership. Live streaming data from Paramount+ and social media impressions have yet to be shared.

This will continue to be updated as more numbers are released.

The 2025 Tony Awards saw a total of 5.10 million viewers, marking the largest Tony Awards audience since 2019. According to TheWrap, those ratings were up 44% from the 2024 telecast, based on Nielsen fast national data and estimated out-of-home viewership.

The 78th Tony Awards also marked the largest streaming audience ever for Paramount+, with a 208% increase from last year. On the social media front, the live special hit 5.2 billion potential impressions, a three-year high and a 55% increase from 2024.

The 2024 Tony Awards broadcast scored 3.53 million viewers, which was down from 2023's 4.12 million. The 2024, 2023, and 2022 ceremonies all decreased ratings since the James Corden-hosted 2019 broadcast, which pulled in 5.5 million viewers. 

The 2026 Tony Awards, hosted by P!nk, are now available to stream on Paramount+. Watch them here. Winners included Schmigadoon!, Liberation, Ragtime, Death of a Salesman, Shoshana Bean, Joshua Henry, and more. Check out the full list here and learn how the star-studded opening number came together in our exclusive interview with the producers here.

Performances included The Lost Boys, Schmigadoon!, Titaníque, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), CATS: The Jellicle Ball, Ragtime and Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show. Special tributes were performed in honor of the 30th anniversary of Chicago on Broadway, with a reunion of the original cast of The Book of Mormon and a special performance of A Chorus Line by Rachel Zegler.

Presenters during the broadcast included Adrien Brody, Annette Bening, Ariana DeBose, Ben Platt, Bernadette Peters, Billy Crystal, Bowen Yang, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Carrie Coon, Cole Escola, Darren Criss, Jack O’Brien, Jeremy Pope, John Leguizamo, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kara Young, Kelli O'Hara, Kristin Chenoweth, Law Roach, Lena Waithe, Lily Rabe, Maya Rudolph, Megan Thee Stallion, Neil Patrick Harris, Nicole Scherzinger, Patrick Wilson, Paul Rudd, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Sarah Paulson, and Sting.

The 79th Tony Awards celebration recognized all the award categories and honored the incredible artistry of the 2025/26 season. The Tony Awards, which honor theater professionals for distinguished achievement on Broadway, were presented by the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing and have been broadcast on CBS since 1978.

Photo Credit: Michele Crowe/CBS