Emmys Skyrocket Like a Leo on Stage—But What’s Really Driving This Four-Year Ratings Surge?
Added on September 15, 2025 inTV News Cards
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So, the 2025 Emmys just pulled off a cosmic double whammy — a back-to-back rise in viewership that we haven’t seen in, like, forever. Seriously, with the moon probably hanging out in some cheeky Gemini mischief that night, everyone seemed a heck of a lot more chatty and tuned in, averaging 7.42 million eyeballs glued to CBS and Paramount+. Hosting duties? Nate Bargatze tried his best to sprinkle some humor (and a charity plug or two), but reactions were mixed — kind of like Mercury retrograde causing a bit of comedic turbulence. Meanwhile, Apple TV+ flexed with its biggest haul ever, proving stars aligned just right for them. Amidst these stellar shifts, one can’t help but wonder: did the Emmy gods throw us a ratings lifeline or is this just celestial coincidence? Either way, it’s an astro-entertainment cocktail worth toasting. LEARN MORE
The 2025 Emmys posted their second consecutive gain in viewers, the first time that’s happened in more than a decade.
Sunday’s telecast on CBS (also live streamed on Paramount+) — which saw Apple TV+’s comedy The Studio, Netflix’s limited series Adolescence and HBO Max’s drama The Pitt take home the biggest trophies — averaged 7.42 million viewers, according to preliminary Nielsen figures. That’s up 8 percent from the 2024 ceremony on ABC, which brought in 6.9 million viewers and stopped a streak of two straight all-time ratings lows for the Emmys.
The 7.42 million viewers for Sunday’s show is also the biggest audience for the Emmys 7.83 million people watched the 2021 awards, also on CBS.
Sunday’s increase in viewers brought the Emmys their first back-to-back ratings gains since the 2012 and 2013 telecasts (also on ABC and CBS) each built on the previous year.
Comedian Nate Bargatze hosted the Emmys, with the telecast — and a running bit about a donation to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America — drawing less-than-kind reviews. HBO/HBO Max and Netflix tied for the most wins (including at the Creative Arts Emmys on Sept. 6 and 7) with 30 statues each, and Apple TV+ had its best Emmy showing ever with 22 wins.
The Emmys close out the major televised awards shows for 2025, which had a mix of small gains and declines. Like the Emmys, the Oscars (19.69 million viewers) improved a bit year to year, while the Grammy Awards (15.4 million viewers) and Golden Globes (9.27 million) dropped by 10 percent or less, per Nielsen (another ratings provider, VideoAmp, showed the Globes improving year to year). June’s Tony Awards were the biggest outlier, improving by 44 percent over the 2024 show to 5.1 million viewers.
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