Television’s Emmy Awards enjoyed a sizeable audience boost, with viewership rising by more than half from the previous edition’s all-time low, network ABC said Monday. Some 6.87 million tuned in on Sunday night to watch Japan-set historical epic “Shogun” smash the record for most Emmy wins in a single season, picking up 18 awards at the small-screen version of the Oscars. The show about warring rivals in feudal Japan also became the first non-English-language show to claim the highly coveted best drama series prize.

The audience jump is a welcome boost for a show that — like many award ceremonies — has struggled to retain viewers in recent years. “The ‘76th Emmy Awards’ telecast on ABC posted the award show’s largest overall audience in 3 years, since the show’s airing on CBS (in 2021), which enjoyed an NFL football game lead-in,” said an ABC statement. Father-and-son duo Eugene and Dan Levy were broadly praised for their co-hosting of Sunday night’s event, which channeled nostalgia with multiple segments honoring television’s past, including a “West Wing” cast reunion. Still, the ratings are historically low. As recently as 2018, the Emmys telecast regularly topped 10 million.

Since then, the Emmys have had to contend with the Covid-19 pandemic, which required a socially distanced ceremony. And last summer’s Hollywood strikes meant pushing back the 2023 edition into the following January for a ceremony watched by only 4.46 million — meaning this year enjoyed a 54 percent rise. Awards shows generally have struggled to attract viewers over the past decade or so, as audiences fragment and younger demographics skip linear television in favor of streaming and social media.

But several shows including the Oscars have enjoyed a small uptick in their most recent editions. In Sunday night’s biggest surprise, “Hacks” was named best comedy, besting previous winner “The Bear.” “Baby Reindeer” triumphed in the limited series section. In addition to winning best drama, “Shogun” earned best actor and best actress awards for Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai. — AFP