Just six months ago ABC and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences found themselves in an awkward position where they put on an Oscars telecast without a host. Surprisingly, ratings were up 12% from the year before. Of course, the year prior was the lowest-rated Oscars in history but, hey, it was an improvement. Now, for different reasons, FOX and the Television Academy are going host-less for the 2019 Primetime Emmy Awards next month.
FOX CEO Charlie Collier made the announcement at his summer executive session with the nation’s television critics this morning. While he did reveal that the network “had many names on the board” they ultimately decided to have the show just focus on the nominated programs. Which, in FOX’s case, makes a lot of sense.
The Emmy telecast rotates between the four major broadcast networks every year. The last time FOX hosted, in 2015, Andy Samberg was the emcee. Samberg’s critically acclaimed and Golden Globe-winning “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” was entering its third season and his co-star Andre Braugher was up for an award. Four years later and things are very different. Not only did “Brooklyn” move to NBC, but FOX is now entering a phase where three of its nights focus on athletic entertainment, the NFL and WWE. Networks traditionally use their own stars to host the Emmys and, frankly, FOX doesn’t have a lot of them left. “The Masked Singer” host Nick Cannon was arguably FOX’s best option, but they ultimately decided to save time within the show (and the production budget) by going strictly with well-known presenters. Considering the horrific performance from last year’s hosts, NBC’s Michael Che and Colin Jost, perhaps it was better to be safe than sorry.
The Primetime Emmy Awards haven’t gone without a host since 2003 but ABC featured went with an unconventional roster of five reality competition show hosts in 2008. At that time, that particular telecast was the lowest-rated Emmys in 18 years. Last year’s Emmys was the lowest-rated in modern history with just 10.1 million viewers.
No decision has been made on whether the 92nd Academy Awards will go without a host for the second year in a row, but rumors have it trending in that direction.
The 71st Primetime Emmy Awards will air live on FOX on Sept. 22 beginning at 8 PM ET, 5 PM PT
