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Media Life

Primetime Emmys Dip to an All-Time Low in the Ratings

Sep 19, 2016  •  Post A Comment

Sunday’s broadcast of the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards on ABC hit a record low for the ceremony, based on Nielsen ratings data.

Media Life Magazine reports that the show delivered an average of 11.3 million total viewers, off 5% from the 11.9 million who tuned in last year, when the program aired on Fox — which was a record low at the time.

“Fox had the advantage of airing the Emmys behind an NFL doubleheader last year, which gave the program a hefty lead-in,” Media Life notes. “But the ABC broadcast started cold, with no NFL lead-in. Instead, its red carpet special at 7 was competing against NFL overrun on CBS and NBC’s ‘Football Night in America,’ a roundup of the day’s NFL action.”

Sunday’s program averaged a 2.8 rating in the key 18-49 demo.

CBS also put up a strong program opposite the Emmys, airing its JonBenet Ramsey special, which pulled a 2.1 average in 18-49 with 10 million total viewers.

The rise of niche programs airing on pay cable and other less widely viewed platforms as Emmys contenders could be a factor.

“’Veep,’ that HBO show that won best comedy, averaged fewer than 1 million viewers last season,” Media Life notes. “By comparison, CBS’s ‘The Big Bang Theory,’ which wasn’t even nominated in the category, averaged 15 times that.”

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One Comment

  1. Maybe if they nominated more shows from broadcast TV, more people would be interested. I have never seen “Game of Thrones” and have no desire to see it. I have many friends who, due to costs, don’t have cable or satellite TV, or even Nteflix for that matter. Then they snub great acting like “The Middle” over & over again. (I guess it’s not edgy enough for the Emmys.) It’s no wonder viewers have lost interest. It also doesn’t help that so many awards shows exist now, it’s easy for them to get lost in the crowd.

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