8.7M tune in for Tonys telecast

NEW YORK, June 13 (UPI) -- CBS says an average of 8.7 million viewers tuned in for its broadcast of Sunday's 70th annual Tony Awards, which honored excellence in Broadway theater for 2015-16.

The network said this edition of the annual gala delivered its largest audience since 2001. The 2015 ceremony was viewed by 6.5 million.

James Corden hosted the most recent event, which saw the rap musical Hamilton will 11 Tonys.

The show also documented history being made as, for the first time, all four winners in the musical acting categories -- Renee Elise Goldsberry, Leslie Odom Jr., Cynthia Erivo and Daveed Diggs -- were people of color.