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Host Neil Patrick Harris and Patti LuPone perform at the 66th Annual Tony Awards on Sunday June 10, 2012, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

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The Tony Awards

Ratings for Tony telecast drop

CBS' Tony Awards show was seen by 6 million viewers, down …

Photos: The 2012 Tony Awards

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Winners from the 2012 American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards.

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Ratings for Tony telecast drop almost 1 million

Second-lowest ratings for Tony awards since 1988

Updated: Monday, 11 Jun 2012, 1:22 PM EDT
Published : Monday, 11 Jun 2012, 1:21 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — CBS' Tony Awards show was seen by 6 million viewers, down significantly from last year's 6.9 million — and against much softer competition, according to preliminary Nielsen figures released Monday.

Photos: The 2012 Tony Awards

The data makes it the second-lowest ratings for the Tony awards since 1988.

The Tony broadcast was up against the season finale of AMC's "Mad Men" but faced no competition from the NBA postseason, as it did last year when it aired opposite Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

Neil Patrick Harris returned as host again this year but there was no clear, dying-to-see-it front-running Broadway show like last year's juggernaut, "The Book of Mormon." The sweet musical "Once" won eight awards this year.

Updated ratings figures will be available on Tuesday.