The Tony Awards have reached an all-time low in terms of audience in the United States

Despite a star-studded ensemble heralding Broadway’s return, the Tony Awards’ TV audience in the United States hit a new low.

The two-hour event, dubbed Broadway’s Back, drew 2.6 million viewers, according to CBS. When the Tony Awards were last held in 2019, 5.4 million people tuned in to watch the show on television. However, the event is normally broadcast in June, when there is less competition. This time, it went up against NBC’s Saturday Night Football and ABC and Fox’s season premieres.

Only the awards for best play, best revival of a play, and best musical were presented during the CBS special, which was split into two for the first time. The majority of the Tonys were streamed on Paramount+, with only the awards for best play, best revival of a play, and best musical presented during the CBS special. The Paramount+ viewing figures are kept under wraps, as they are with most streaming services.

Due to the epidemic, the ceremony on Sunday was about a year late. It also took place over two years after the premieres of most of the nominated plays and musicals in New York. The Soldier’s Play, depicting the 1944 murder of a black officer on a US military post, and The Inheritance, a modern-day Aids drama, both closed in 2020 and have no plans to reopen.

It’s the Moulin Rouge! The Musical was the overwhelming winner of the night, receiving nine Tony Awards and being named best musical. The show, along with dozens of other shows that have reappeared since Covid, resumed last week.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, Idina Menzel, and Kristin Chenoweth all made appearances at the Tony Awards, urging viewers to buy tickets to help live theatre rebound from the pandemic-induced lockdown.