It may have been a celebration of TV's best and brightest, but most of America took a pass on the Emmys this year. Sunday's 56th annual Primetime Emmy Awards telecast on ABC posted some of the lowest numbers on record for the industry's big night.

The 8-11 p.m. telecast averaged 14 million viewers and a 4.7 rating/12 share in the adults 18-49 demographic -- down nearly 4 million viewers and 34% in adults 18-49 from last year's ceremony that aired on Fox, which pulled in an average 17.7 million viewers and a 7.0/18 in adults 18-49.

CBS' lineup of "60 Minutes" and drama repeats beat ABC for the nightly win in total viewers (13.9 million) and adults 18-49 (4.2/11), albeit with a lot of help from a highly rated NFL game that spilled over into the first hour of primetime, according to preliminary estimates from Nielsen Media Research.

ABC's Emmy telecast, hosted by Garry Shandling, peaked in the 9:30-10 p.m. half hour at 14.9 million viewers and a 4.9/12 in adults 18-49 -- a weak showing by comparison to the annual Oscar and Grammy telecasts. In adults 18-49, Sunday's show, which showered its top prizes on HBO's "Angels in America" and "The Sopranos" and Fox's "Arrested Development," marked the lowest ebb for an Emmy telecast since Nielsen introduced its national PeopleMeter demographic tracking system in 1987. In total viewers, it was the least-watched Emmy-cast since 1990, when the telecast on the then-fledgling Fox network averaged only 12.3 million viewers.

In younger demos, the Emmy tune-out was even more pronounced. The ceremony averaged a 3.5/10 in adults 18-34, down 45% from last year's ceremony. In women 18-34 (4.4/13), Emmy viewership tumbled 44% from last year.

ABC's hourlong "Countdown to the Emmys" (6 million, 1.7/5 in adults 18-49) preshow arrivals telecast also had little traction with viewers in the 7 p.m. hour.

NBC did reasonably well with its 7-11 p.m. repeat telecast of the theatrical blockbuster "Titanic" (8.6 million, 3.3/9).