The Tony Awards posted solid gains over last year's ceremony, but they couldn't keep up with Game 2 of the NBA Finals, which scored the night's top numbers and drove ABC to an overall win Sunday night, according to preliminary numbers.
Though the numbers for ABC are approximate due to the nature of live sports, the network currently holds a commanding first place in the advertiser-sought 18-49 demographic with a 3.9 rating/12 share and in total viewers with 10 million. That's due primarily to the NBA Finals Game 2, which dropped from last year but nonetheless dominated the night. The game drew a 4.6/13 — down 21 percent from last year's preliminary numbers, but far and away the night's best performance — and drew 11.6 million total viewers.
Prior to the Miami-San Antonio faceoff, "Jimmy Kimmel Live Game Night" posted a 1.9/7 — down 10 percent from last year's preliminary numbers — and drew 5.3 million total viewers. The pre-game show dropped 39 percent from last year for a 1.9/7 and took 5 million total viewers.
CBS took a distant second in ratings and total viewers with a 1.2/4 and 7.7 million. Following "60 Minutes," which drew a 1.2/4 and had 9.1 million total viewers, the 67th Annual Tony Awards posted a 1.2/3, up 20 percent from last year. The awards ceremony drew 7.2 million total viewers, also up 20 percent from last year and the Tonys' largest audience since 2009.
Fox, which aired repeats throughout the night, was third in ratings and fourth in total viewers with a 1.0/3 and 2.3 million.
NBC, which also aired repeats, took fourth place in ratings and third in total viewers with a 0.9/3 and 3.4 million.
