Tony Awards viewers complain about confusion over Paramount+ livestream

Tony Awards viewers expecting to stream the 76th iteration of the ceremony Sunday evening on Paramount+ instead found themselves watching last year’s show.

This year’s Tony Awards were supposed to be airing live on CBS as well as its sister streaming platform, Paramount+, but when some subscribers of the latter clicked through for the 76th Tony Awards, the 75th Tonys began to stream. Both telecasts feature Ariana DeBose as host, adding to the potential confusion.

“This is happening to me right now. So embarrassed and upset.
They’re literally showing last year’s show,” tweeted 24 Hour Plays’ Artistic Director Mark Armstrong. Another person wrote: “I just signed up for Paramount Plus to watch the Tonys not on my digital antenna and I literally cannot find it on here.” One would-be viewer emailed The Times during the ceremony to say, “I’m glad to know I’m not the only one pulling my hair out over here.”

The problem, it turns out, stems from confusion over Paramount+ subscription levels: The ceremony aired live for subscribers of the platform’s higher-priced Premium service only. That distinction was not stated in the Tony Awards press materials, which explains why national outlets including the L.A. Times, the New York Times, Vogue and Variety all had reported that the awards were streaming live on Paramount+ with no caveat about the need for a Premium subscription.

This is not the first time that CBS and Paramount+ have angered viewers. Years ago, the company imposed a tape delay on West Coast viewers, a head-scratching choice for a world with social media.

Follow along as The Times reports on the awards with live updates. Times theater critic Charles McNulty is in the house, waiting to find out if Tonys voters echo his rankings of the best musical nominees.