Emmys hit a record low with only 4.3 million viewers

The Emmy Awards telecast on Fox hit a historic low audience of 4.3 million viewers, highlighting the ongoing trend of declining ratings for the show.

On Tuesday, the Nielsen company reported that the Monday night event, hosted by Anthony Anderson, which saw "Succession" and "The Bear" receiving most of the top awards, had a viewership of 4.3 million. This figure is lower than the previous record low of 5.9 million for NBC's telecast in 2022, which was the last time the event took place.

The Emmys this year faced various challenges. The event was postponed by four months from its usual September schedule due to strikes by Hollywood's writers and actors. Additionally, it had to contend with competition from an NFL playoff game and the coverage of the Iowa caucuses in the presidential campaign.

The viewership for the Emmy Awards was less than half of what the CBS telecast of the Golden Globes received just eight days earlier. The Golden Globes, which celebrated both TV and movies and featured more prominent stars, including Taylor Swift, amassed 9.4 million viewers.

The Emmys and Anthony Anderson received generally positive reviews for a show that devoted a significant portion to honoring past television, featuring reunions and set recreations from shows such as "Cheers", "Martin", and "Grey's Anatomy".

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Variety described it as "delightful," and The Hollywood Reporter praised its "polish, proficiency, and emotion." However, these positive reviews did not prevent the ongoing decline in viewership numbers.

The 2020 Emmys, which took place during the height of the pandemic on ABC and featured no in-person audience and remote nominees, established a new low at the time with 6.1 million viewers. However, the show rebounded the following year with 7.4 million viewers when CBS hosted it.

Subsequently, the viewership began to decline again in 2022. The four broadcast networks take turns airing the show.

The Emmys last surpassed 10 million viewers in 2018, drawing in 10.2 million. In 2000, the show achieved a peak viewership of 21.8 million, a level it is unlikely to reach again.