MUMBAI: It is one big “nevermind” as the 61st Primetime Emmys is returning to their original date, Sept. 13.
Two weeks after CBS, which carries the awards show this year, and the Academy of TV Arts & Sciences took the rare step of moving the ceremony up a week to Sept. 13, they did an about-face, going back to their original Emmy plans.
The decision was made after it became clear that MTV‘s Video Music Awards are slated for Sept. 13. The cable channel, part of Viacom and once a corporate sibling of CBS, is expected to make an official announcement about the date, venue and host of this years VMAs next week, but it told CBS about the plans in advance.
“After we announced plans for Sept. 13, MTV informed us they were locked into the same day for the Video Music Awards, with venue and sponsorship agreements in place. We had the flexibility to move; they didn‘t,” said Jack Sussman, CBS‘ executive vp, specials, music and live events. “It‘s best for the industry and the audience that these events not compete against each other.”
In addition to attracting top music talent, the VMAs, MTV‘s premiere annual event, draws big ratings. Last year, the award show hosted by Russell Brand, attracted 8.4 million viewers, most of them in the sought-after younger demographics.
With the Primetime Emmys returning to the 20th, the Creative Arts Emmys, slated for Sept. 12, will go back to their original venue, the Nokia Theatre, which also hosts the primetime awards. (In the wake of the Primetime Emmys‘ move to Sept. 13, the Creative Arts Emmys were shifted to the nearby Los Angeles Convention Center to accommodate preparations for CBS‘ live broadcast the next evening.)
The decision to move the Primetime Emmys to the 13th came after the NFL released its schedule and it featured a double-header on the 20th, which will be carried by CBS. Fearing a possible delay to the Emmy ceremony if the late afternoon game bleeds into primetime, the network opted to move the show to the 13th, where it also would‘ve faced the lower-profile Bears-Packers NFL game on NBC.
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