Viewership for the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards declined nearly 10 percent compared to last year, marking a setback following several years of growth. The ceremony, held Monday and hosted by "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" star Mariska Hargitay, attracted approximately 6.7 million viewers on NBC, according to data released by the network on Tuesday.

Monday’s broadcast faced stiff competition from the first Monday Night Football game of the season between the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos on ESPN, which may have contributed to the lower ratings. Despite the drop, the Emmy telecast’s audience remained considerably larger than the all-time low of 4.3 million viewers recorded during the January 2024 ceremony on Fox, which had been postponed for months due to Hollywood’s writers and actors strikes.

Apple TV’s comedy series “Widow’s Bay” was the evening’s biggest victor, winning a record 14 Emmys for a comedy. Meanwhile, the drama series “The Pitt” secured the award for best drama for the second consecutive year.

The Emmys ceremony rotates among the four major broadcast networks annually; this year NBC served as the host. In comparison, last year’s event drew about 7.42 million viewers on CBS, while the 2024 telecast on ABC reached approximately 6.87 million viewers.

Despite the continued cultural relevance of the Emmy Awards, the telecast’s ratings remain substantially lower than those for other major award shows. The Emmys typically attract fewer than half the viewers of the Oscars or the Grammys and fall significantly behind the Golden Globes in audience size.