Emmys 2016: Awards hit all-time ratings low as Jimmy Kimmel fails to bring in younger viewers
The 18-49 demo rating was particularly bad
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Your support makes all the difference.Despite showcasing some phenomenal shows such as Game of Thrones, The People vs OJ Simpson, and Mr. Robot, this year’s Emmys failed to bring in the viewers.
Broadcast on ABC, the awards ceremony was watched by an average audience of 11.3 million viewers, a 5% drop from the show’s previous low on FOX last year.
Worst of all, however, was the substantial drop in younger viewers (advertisers favoured audience). The 18-49 demo rating stood at 2.8 compared to the 3.6 rating in 2015.
As noted by Vulture, the low score puts the Emmys below the ABC-hosted Billboard Music Awards earlier this year, the season finale of Fear the Walking Dead, and game three of the NBA’s Western Conference finals.
There are a number of reasons for the low viewership. First of all, unlike other channels that have hosted the Emmys, ABC had no major Sunday sporting packages leading up to the event, therefore they are unable to advertise the Emmys as effectively as other hosts due to fewer viewers tuning into the channel. Not only this, but NBC were also running their popular Sunday night football package at the same time as the event.
Second, young viewers no longer watch TV in the same way. With numerous clips from the ceremony appearing on Youtube and social media platforms, the need to watch the event live to catch the best bits is no longer a priority. Considering many of the shows nominated are hosted on streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and HBO Go, it’s no surprise those under 50 would take this approach.
Meanwhile, the event itself caused quite a stir online, Matt Damon’s appearance proving particularly favourable online, as did Jimmy Kimmel’s opening sketch featuring James Corden.
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