The 60th Annual Tony Awards, according to a CBS press release, averaged a 5.3 rating/9 share, a marked increased from the 2005 telecast, which averaged a 4.5 rating/8 share. The change represents an additional 1.29 million viewers, with 7.79 million people having watched this year's awards program. The CBS figures are based on the "preliminary Nielsen live plus same day affiliate based ratings."
A single ratings point represents roughly one million households; a share shows the percentage of televisions being used at the time.
ABC, however, managed to win the night, boosted by the second game of the NBA finals. The alphabet network, according to Zap2it.com, averaged a 5.7 rating/10 share. NBC was third for the Sunday evening, earning a 4.6 rating/8 share. FOX and the WB, averaged, respectively, a 2.9 rating/5 share and a 1.3 rating/2 share.
Viewers for the three-hour Tony broadcast declined as the show progressed. The first hour of the Tony telecast — with a 5.5 rating/9 share — kept CBS in the lead spot. (The network started the night on top with the long-running news show "60 Minutes.") During the second hour of the Tonys, the network dropped to third place behind ABC's basketball game and NBC's "Law & Order."
Zap2it ratings are "taken from fast national data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change, especially in the case of live telecasts."