Comedian Nate Bargatze helped raise the bar during Sunday’s 77th Emmys.
Today, according to Nielsen fast national data, CBS announced that the 2025 Emmys reached 7.42 million viewers for its Sunday broadcast on CBS and Paramount+. Despite going up against Sunday Night Football, the awards ceremony reached a four-year high in viewership, which is the highest since the show last aired on CBS in 2021.
It was up 8% from the 2024 broadcast on ABC, which had around 6.9 million viewers.
In addition, livestreaming on Paramount+ was up 76% from the CBS-hosted Emmys in 2021. On social media, the show drove 60.9 billion “potential impressions” and 1.6 million mentions, according to CBS. The network said that it was up 66% from last year.
The show’s success illustrates the impact of live events as appointment viewing in an increasingly fragmented TV landscape. John Halley, Paramount’s ad sales president, recently told ADWEEK the power of live events was “at an all-time high” and saw strong demand in the upfront.
Showing the brand enthusiasm, ahead of the show, the Television Academy signed up several corporate partners, including Decoy, FIJI Water, Franciacorta, Johnnie Walker Blended Scotch Whisky, LG, PEOPLE, The Ritz-Carlton, and United Airlines.
The ratings also continue a series of live event wins for CBS. Around a week ago, the 2025 VMAs on MTV and CBS earned 5.5 million viewers, its biggest audience since 2019.
Beyond the ratings, Sunday’s Emmys were a big night for streamers, with Apple TV+’s The Studio breaking the record for most Emmys by a comedy in one year, receiving 13 awards. Meanwhile, Netflix’s Adolescence won six awards on the night, including Owen Cooper becoming the youngest male winner in an acting category.
Somehow, it was also a big night for jeans thanks to a Sydney Sweeney story that is more durable than any denim.