For the second year in a row, the Primetime Emmy Awards have hit an all-time low in TV viewership.
Time zone-adjusted Nielsen numbers for ABC's live broadcast of the 72nd annual awards have the show drawing 6.1 million viewers and a 1.2 rating among adults 18-49. The previous low was set a year ago, when Fox had just under 7 million viewers and a 1.7 in the key ad demographic in the finals.
Sunday's telecast was down by about 13 percent year to year in total viewers, and by 29 percent in the 18-49 demo. Those numbers may inch up a little in the finals, when out of home viewing is factored in, but it's exceedingly unlikely they'll get above 2019's levels.
Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the live Emmy broadcast featured a handful of in-person appearances with Kimmel at L.A.'s Staples Center and remote acceptance speeches from winners, along with Emmy statuettes delivered to winners at their homes. Pop TV's Schitt's Creek, which swept the comedy categories, and HBO's Succession and Watchmen were the big winners.
The downward slide for the Emmys isn't a huge surprise. Broadcast viewing in general is down, and most awards shows this year have turned in smaller ratings than in 2019. The Emmy ceremony aired opposite both an NFL game (which happens every year NBC isn't carrying the awards) and an NBA playoff contest on TNT.
NBC's Sunday Night Football is the runaway leader in the early numbers, drawing close to three times as many viewers as the Emmys.
Article by: Rick Porter for the Hollywood Reporter.
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