Following last year’s record low in TV viewership, the 2020 Primetime Emmy Awards did no better, now setting the floor for the awards, as The Hollywood Reporter reports. The Nielson numbers for last night’s ABC broadcast showed the 2020 awards being watched by a total of 6.1 million viewers while the 2019 Emmys brought in a bit under 7 million total viewers. While these numbers are not final and could increase when home viewing is factored in, they will most likely remain underneath 2019’s viewership.
The ceremony was hosted remotely from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, featuring a small amount of in-person appearances from actors such as Jennifer Aniston (Friends, The Morning Show), Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us, Waves), Anthony Anderson (black-ish), and a musical performance by H.E.R.
As predicted, Pop TV’s Schitt’s Creek, and HBO’s Succession and Watchmen swept categories just as they did with nominations. Moreover, the decrease in viewership did not come as a surprise to most as an NFL game and the NBA playoff contest taking place on TNT all overlapped. Sunday Night Football featuring the New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks and Game 2 of the NBA Western Conference Finals with the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets swept most of the Emmys’ viewership, drawing in about 3 times as many viewers.