A record-low viewership of 4.3 million watched the Fox Emmy Awards presentation, continuing the show’s long-term downward trend in ratings.
The Monday night show hosted by Anthony Anderson, which featured “Succession” and “The Bear” taking home the majority of the top awards, was reported by Nielsen on Tuesday to have decreased from the previous record low of 5.9 million for NBC’s telecast in 2022, the last time the event was held.
The Emmys this year faced numerous challenges. Due to the strikes by Hollywood writers and actors, they were forced to reschedule their September event by four months, and they had to contend with covering both the presidential campaign’s Iowa caucuses and an NFL playoff game, reported the Associated Press.
Less than half as many people watched the Golden Globes telecast on CBS eight days earlier. With Taylor Swift and other bigger stars in attendance, the evening celebrated both TV and film and attracted 9.4 million people.
For an evening that mostly honored classic television with reunions and set recreations from programs like “Cheers,” “Martin,” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” the Emmys and Anderson received largely excellent reviews. The Hollywood Reporter commended its “polish, proficiency, and emotion,” while Variety dubbed it “delightful.”
However, that did little to stop the ongoing drop in numbers.
With no in-person audience and remote nominations, the 2020 ABC Emmys reached a record low with 6.1 million viewers during the height of the pandemic. However, the show recovered the next year with 7.4 million viewers on CBS.
Then, in 2022, the downturn started up again.
The 2018 Emmys attracted 10.2 million viewers, which was the last time the show attracted more than 10 million people. In 2000, the program drew in 21.8 million viewers, a figure it is unlikely to match.