Audiences for the Emmy Awards, America’s television equivalent of the Oscars, hit a new all-time low on Monday night despite a gala that was praised by critics for this year’s awards, AFP and Agerpres reported.

Actors at this year’s Emmy AwardsPhoto: Fox TV / Backgrid UK / Profimedia Images

The 75th annual awards ceremony, which was delayed for four months due to strikes in Hollywood, drew just 4.3 million viewers, according to preliminary figures released Tuesday by Fox, which broadcast the gala.

This is a new negative record for this event, which is attracting less and less interest in the US. In 2022, the Emmys were watched by only 5.9 million viewers. Even less than the 2020 edition, dubbed the “PandEmmys,” when the stars stayed at home due to isolation measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Even if the ceremony did not attract many people to the screens, it still offered a beautiful show, interspersed with nostalgic tributes from several series – Soprano, Ellie McBeal, Grey’s Anatomy – which marked the history of American television.

An evening dominated by TV series Succession and Bear, was widely praised by American critics. The Los Angeles Times even noted that it was “the best Emmys in years” — but not enough to buck the trend.

The Emmys look back on their golden age with nostalgia

The Emmy Awards ceremony is usually held in September, but strikes by Hollywood actors and writers have completely disrupted their calendar. The industry was completely paralyzed for six months, with actors unable to promote their work during the strike, which forced the postponement of the awards ceremony until January.

The 75th Emmy Awards were unfortunately sandwiched between several major events of the Hollywood awards season, including the Golden Globes and Oscar nominations. At the same time, the postponement rewarded shows whose nominated seasons began, in some cases, 18 months ago, an eternity in the entertainment world.

Far from their golden age, all of America’s major awards ceremonies face some lack of interest from the general public, especially young people who spend more time on social media or streaming platforms than in front of the TV.

But in the post-pandemic world, the audience figures for the Oscars and Golden Globes have picked up a bit, unlike the Emmys.