Emmys postponed until January over Hollywood strikes

The Emmy Awards have been postponed by almost four months, organisers said Thursday, as crippling strikes by Hollywood's actors and writers drag on with no resolution in sight.

Television's equivalent of the Oscars had been due to take place this September, but will now be held in mid-January next year, broadcaster Fox and the Television Academy wrote in a statement.

"We are pleased to announce that the 75th Emmy Awards will now air on Monday, 15 January, 2024," said a Fox spokesman. The Emmys are the most significant entertainment event so far to be delayed by Hollywood's first industry-wide walkout by both actors and writers in more than 60 years.

The last time the Emmys were delayed was in 2001, when the ceremony was postponed in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Due to the ongoing actors' strike, A-list stars and nominees would not currently be allowed to attend the Emmys -- a development that would be disastrous for television ratings.

Writers would also not be allowed to script a monologue or jokes for the telecast's host and presenters. The lengthy delay is intended to allow both sides time to resolve their differences.

The various parties have barely spoken through any formal channels since the writers' strike began 100 days ago. Writers Guild of America (WGA) negotiators are set to finally return to the bargaining table with studios Friday.

The far larger Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) began its own strike last month, and has yet to resume talks with studios. Both unions are asking for better pay, and guarantees that artificial intelligence will not steal their jobs and income, among other demands.

Reports of an Emmys delay had been circulating in recent weeks, but until now the postponement had not been confirmed, nor any new date announced.

Mid-January lands the Emmys right in the middle of Hollywood's packed film awards season. The Emmys -- set to take place on Martin Luther King Jr Day, a US federal holiday -- will now take place one week after the Golden Globes, and just 24 hours after the Critics Choice Awards.

Nominations for the Oscars will be announced a week later, with the Academy Awards ceremony set for 10 March. The Hollywood strikes have essentially shut down all US movie and television productions, with limited exceptions such as reality and game shows. Members of SAG-AFTRA and the WGA are barred from promoting their movies and series.

The unions' demands have focused on dwindling pay in the streaming era, and the threat posed to their careers and future livelihoods by artificial intelligence. Writers and actors say studios have been methodically eroding their salaries for years, making it impossible for all but the very top ranks to earn a living.

They contend that the rise of streaming platforms -- which do not generally reveal viewing figures -- has deprived them of giant paydays when they create global hits. Meanwhile, nominations for the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards were announced last month, just hours before talks between studios and SAG-AFTRA collapsed.

"Succession," the HBO drama about an ultra-wealthy family fighting for control of a sinister media empire, led the nominations with a whopping 27 nods, including best drama. m"The Last of Us" became the first live-action video game adaptation to earn major nominations, with 24, while satire "The White Lotus" earned 23 nods.

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