Emmy ratings rebound, Harris draws raves
Let's hope Neil Patrick Harris enjoyed hosting Sunday night's Emmy Awards, because there's a good chance he's going to be asked to do it again.
Despite a roster of familiar winners and low-rated nominees airing against heavy sports competition, CBS' presentation of the 61st Annual Primetime Emmy telecast posted across-the-board ratings gains -- reversing a multi-year decline.
The three-hour show was seen by 13.3 million viewers and drew a 4.2 preliminary rating among adults 18-49 -- 8% more viewers and an 11% higher rating than last year's all-time low. It also ranks as the most-watched Emmy telecast since 2006.
For once, the oft-derided TV awards institution also drew rave reviews from the critics, especially for Harris:
-- "Harris was affable, charming and simultaneously self-deprecating and comically self-aggrandizing. But it wasn't just him" -- Hollywood Reporter
-- "That's not just a better Emmy. It ranks up there with the best." -- USA Today
-- "The whole montage notion was a good one - and so was the idea of subdividing the night into five separate segments" -- NY Daily News
-- "A show that should serve as a playbook for all award shows to come." -- LA Times
The Emmys join the Tonys, Grammys and other specials that managed to make recent ratings gains. Between award show viewership hitting record lows during the writers strike, and producers scrambling to overhaul tired tux-and-statue traditions, most award shows have managed to climb this year, so pressure was high on the Emmys to follow suit.
The awards faced particularly intense competition too.
The Giants vs. Cowboys game on NBC earned the largest overnight household rating for a primetime NFL game in 11 years -- drawing about a 65% larger audience than the Emmys.
The Giants 33-31 victory earned a 16.5 HH rating while unveiling of the new $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium. That's also the highest rating ever for NBC's "Sunday Night Football" franchise, which should help the network promote its premieres this week such as tonight's return of "Heroes."
Emmy full coverage from Hollywood Reporter:
-- 'DAILY SHOW,' 'RACE' ON ROLL
-- DEMISE OF TV EMMY HOT TOPIC
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