NEW YORK — The Emmys accomplished what is becoming a rarity for awards shows these days, by actually increasing its viewership over the previous years.
The Nielsen company estimated that 7.4 million people watched Sunday night's show, where the comedy “Ted Laso” and streaming service Netflix were the big winners.
That's up from the 6.1 million people who watched a ceremony sharply curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic last year. The previous year, 6.9 million people watched the show that celebrates television programming.
CBS estimates the viewership number should increase slightly when Nielsen's count of people who watched outside of their homes is included. Those numbers weren't immediately available on Monday.
The 2021 Emmys, hosted by Cedric the Entertainer, looked a lot more like the usual Hollywood glitz and glamour than it did during last year's entirely virtual ceremony. There were still COVID-19 precautions, but the actors and actresses all gathered together in their red carpet attire, golden statuettes were given and the expected nominees won.
Some of the notable moments included notable moments Seth Rogen’s rant blasting the event's COVID-19 protocols, a wonderful tribute to TV legend Debbie Allen and RuPaul Charles making history as the most-awarded Black artist in Emmys history (though the Television Academy mostly failed when it came to diversity this year).
Awards shows of all types have struggled in the ratings the past couple of years, victims of television's trend toward streaming and viewers deciding what they want to watch and when.
Streaming services were celebrated at the Emmys, where Netflix tied a record for most individual awards in a year, helped primarily by "The Crown" and "The Queen's Gambit."
The comedy "Ted Lasso" is on the Apple TV+ services.
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