ABC wins; Tonys take it on the chin

Barbara Walters’ interview with Sen. Hillary Clinton on ABC was a big winner with viewers, far outdistancing CBS’ Tony Awards telecast to become the highest-rated show on Sunday, according to preliminary Nielsen ratings released Monday.

The hourlong interview, which coincided with the release of Clinton’s memoirs and included her comments about her husband’s affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, averaged 13 million viewers.

The Tony Awards continued to struggle despite the star power of host Hugh Jackman and Broadway performers such as Antonio Banderas and Bernadette Peters. The telecast, which expanded from two hours last year to three hours this year, averaged 7.9 million viewers, down a bit from last year’s average of 8 million viewers.