Emmy Awards Post Record Low Ratings With Just 4.3 Million Viewers

The primetime Emmy Awards continued to slide in viewership in 2024, this time posting record low ratings after attracting just 4.3 million people.

The Nielsen company reported that Monday’s awards show, which was hosted by comedian Anthony Anderson, was down from the previous record low of 5.9 million viewers in 2022, which was the last time the event was held.

The disastrous numbers put an end to what executives hoped would be the start of a rebound after 2021. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Emmy Awards drew roughly 6.1 million viewers to ABC. The show’s CBS telecast bounced back in 2021 with 7.4 million viewers before declining in 2022.

Emmy Awards get record low ratings with audience of 4.3 million people https://t.co/6SCr4jVdbw

— The Associated Press (@AP) January 16, 2024

This year’s Emmys faced significant competition, with two NFL playoff games kicking off at 4:30 p.m ET and 8:15 p.m. respectively. The program also had to compete with coverage of the Iowa caucuses. In addition, the event was delayed by four months due to the Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strike.

Monday’s figures came in far below those of the Golden Globe awards, which were televised by CBS eight days earlier. The Golden Globes managed to rake in more than 9.4 million viewers, boosted perhaps by a star-studded guestlist that included the likes of Taylor Swift.

Viewership for the Golden Globes was also down when compared with 2019 numbers, however, when the show drew roughly 19 million viewers.

Emmy Awards viewership is down significantly from previous heights, representing a persistent decline in public interest for awards shows. The last show to generate more than 10 million viewers came in 2018, when 10.2 million people tuned in. The show drew more than 20 million viewers in 2000, a height that is unlikely to be replicated.

The program’s telecast is rotated by the four major networks on a yearly basis.