Spectator decline: quota at the Emmy Awards breaks

At the award ceremony of the Oscars, the concept had worked out: After the criticism of the comedian Kevin Hart as moderator, the Academy of Motion Pictures had completely waived for the first time a moderation of the gala. The number of spectators had not detracted, on the contrary: 29.6 million people saw the award, compared to 26.5 million last year. That did not work for the Emmys: The number of spectators at the gala on Sunday in Los Angeles dropped drastically.

The US media reported that just 6.1 million viewers watched the ceremony. That was more than 30 percent less than in the previous year (10.2 million), an all-time low. Different reasons are given for the disinterest: The gala was broadcast this year at the station Fox, which enters anyway lower quotas than about the competition of NBC. Fox hardly stirred the promotional drum for the event and saved, for example, on a live orchestra. And just at NBC ran at the time of broadcasting a football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cleveland Browns.

The strategy of getting along without a moderation team also backfired this time. Unlike the Oscars, this is nothing new for the Emmys; several galas have already been performed without a host. But this year's edition was seen by many commentators as tough and uninspired, almost unanimously, the evening was sharply criticized in the US media. And finally, the mass of nominees, categories and prizes also play a role, with many viewers losing track.