What's a television awards show absent the actors and writers who create television?
The 75th Emmy Awards ceremony, scheduled to air on Fox on Sept. 18, has been postponed due to the writers and actors strikes, according to Variety.
Vendors for the event "have been told that the ceremony will not air on September 18 — the first time that there has been official word that the date has been pushed," Variety reports.
This is the first time since 2001 the annual television awards show has been delayed.
This year's nominees include Succession, The Last of Us, The White Lotus and Ted Lasso.
Ratings for the annual broadcast have declined in recent years but Hollywood still counts on the Emmys for its promotional opportunities. Every time a show, actor, director, musician or other content creator is nominated, press releases, ads and interviews follow.
Both unions — the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA — have rules that limit the number of interviews their members can do during the strike.
SAG-AFTRA members, for example, cannot go on publicity tours to promote projects that are part of the strike.
Variety reports that the Emmys could be rescheduled for January 2024. Thomas Mikusz, a publicist with White Bear PR, doesn't like that timing. January is already a crowded month with events that include the Golden Globes. White Bear PR represents a number of musicians who are nominated for Emmys this year.
"From a PR side, having the Emmy ceremony in January alongside tons of other awards shows and film festivals is far less from ideal and we all wished for an earlier date," Mikusz tells NPR in an email, "I hope moving the date to January is also not an indication of studios expecting a long strike."
Judalina Neira is relieved the Emmys could move to January. She is a writer and producer on the Emmy nominated series, Daisy Jones and the Six.
"Because of COVID, so many creatives weren't able to be honored in person for their exceptional work at the Emmys these past years, so I appreciate the TV Academy and Fox's decision to move the telecast to January," she writes in an email to NPR. "Hopefully by then fair contracts will be achieved and we'll be able to celebrate historic gains for union workers."
