Tony Awards audience hits 15-year high as ‘Hamilton’ wins big

NEW YORK — CBS’ Tony Awards on Sunday beat last year’s audience by one-third.

The broadcast drew 8.73 million viewers, up 35 percent from last year, according to preliminary ratings from the Nielsen Co. It is the largest audience for the show since 2001.

The surge was even more pronounced in the key 18-to-49-year-old demographic, with that rating notching a 60 percent increase from 2015.

James Corden, host of CBS’ “The Late Late Show,” presided over the awardscast, which saw Broadway musical sensation “Hamilton” win 11 awards, yet had somber moments in the wake of Saturday’s nightclub shootings in Orlando, Florida.

Last year’s telecast — hosted by Alan Cumming and Kristin Chenoweth — was watched by a mere 6.46 million viewers. In 2014, it reached 7.02 million and captured 7.24 million in 2013.

Tony Awards winners in major categories:

Best musical: “Hamilton”

Best play: “The Humans” by Stephen Karam

Best revival of a musical: “The Color Purple”

Best revival of a play: “Arthur Miller’s A View From the Bridge”

Best performance by a leading actress in a musical: Cynthia Erivo, “The Color Purple”

Best performance by a leading actor in a musical: Leslie Odom Jr., “Hamilton”

Best performance by a leading actress in a play: Jessica Lange, “Long Day’s Journey into Night”

Best performance by a leading actor in a play: Frank Langella, “The Father”

Best book of a musical: “Hamilton”

Best original score: “Hamilton”

Best choreography: “Hamilton”