CBS will air a sing-along version of the hit musical “Grease” instead of the Tony Awards on June 7.
CBS announced the change Friday, according to a report published by the New York Post. The award show has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Grease singalong to replace Tony Awards broadcast on CBS https://t.co/jyQpLS3XQ0
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) May 15, 2020
The “Grease” singalong will include usual stars John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.
The Tonys have been indefinitely postponed since Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo banned gatherings of 500 people in the city. It is unclear if they will happen at a later date in 2020 or if there will be a combined ceremony in 2021.
All Broadway shows have been shutdown since March 12. (RELATED: As Hollywood Becomes More Progressive, Red Carpet Events Become More Political)
This move doesn’t have anything to do with ratings, but this could be such a better idea for the network than airing the Tonys. People are looking for things to watch on TV right now, but there’s a high chance they wouldn’t have tuned in for the Tonys.
Most people don’t tune into award shows at all anymore.
In 2019, the ratings for the Tony Awards hit an all-time low at less than six million viewers, according to a report published by Newsday.
Maybe in the future we won’t see televised award shows anymore.