Emmys Postponed by Television Academy to January

Fans of shows such as Andor and The Last of Us, eagerly awaiting the outcome of the Emmy Awards, will need to exercise some extra patience. The Television Academy and Fox have recently disclosed that the Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony has been rescheduled from September 18th to January 15th, coinciding with Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

That marks a four-month delay, and means the ceremony will air a week after the Golden Globes. The Television Academy and its broadcast partner have moved the Creative Arts Emmy Awards to the same weekend as the Golden Globes (an edited version of that two-night ceremony will air on January 13).

The delay is not unexpected. Rumors have been swirling for weeks that the Academy and Fox would have to postpone the Emmys because writers and actors have quit Hollywood production. With Writers Guild of America members unable to write jokes for Emmy hosts and SAG-AFTRA cast members unable to attend the awards ceremonies due to union rules against promoting beaten work, rescheduling seemed inevitable at this point.

Actors and writers are on strike as they try to secure fair contracts with Hollywood studios that protect the future of their profession. One of the biggest points of contention is that both unions want to protect their members from advances in artificial intelligence that could harm their employment prospects. For example, SAG-AFTRA claims that studios wanted to scan Actors and have the right to use their digital images forever in exchange for a day’s pay.

As has been the case for many years, shows and TV movies from streaming services compete with broadcast networks for Emmy honors. HBO and Max collected a combined 127 nominations thanks to films like The Last of Us and Succession. Netflix has 103 and Apple (with a big helping hand from reigning Emmy champ Ted Lasso) has 52. Thanks in large part to its various Star Wars shows, Disney+ has 40 Emmy nominations this year.