Tony Ratings: Hugh Jackman vs. Beauty Queens

Hugh Jackman’s fourth stint at hosting the Tony Awards garnered the second largest audience for the CBS telecast in the last five years.

According to Variety and Nielsen’s preliminary estimates, the June 8 broadcast scored 7 million viewers, slightly down from 2013’s final 7.3 million. In the key 18-49 demographic, the show averaged a 1.2 rating, which basically matched last year's result.

The 68th Annual Tony Awards was the night’s third highest-rated program in the demographic, with ABC’s coverage of the NBA Finals and NBC’s Miss USA pageant coming ahead of the telecast.