Believe it or not, sometimes it is NOT all about the ratings. 

For example, CBS just renewed an annual special it has been airing for 35 years, despite the fact that the last time the special aired its ratings hit a 21-year low.

The annual special that CBS has just renewed through 2018 its the Tony Awards, reports The New York Times.

The announcement comes just three weeks before CBS’s telecast June 9 of the annual theater awards ceremony, which will feature one of the network’s stars, Neil Patrick Harris, returning to host the event.

"For CBS, the Tony Awards show is much more of a prestige item for its summer programming schedule than a potential ratings boon,” The Times reports. “Last year’s edition, with Mr. Harris, hit a 21-year low in the ratings, drawing only about 6 million viewers."