The 47th. Annual Daytime Emmy Awards returned triumphantly to television on Friday night when the show aired on CBS. The last time Daytime Emmys aired on one of the major broadcast networks was in 2011 when CBS radioed the show.
Daytime Emmy Awards on TV
According to TV Insider, the first hour of the show, which aired from 8 to 9 p.m. ET, drew 3.3 million viewers, beating a repeat of Shark Tank on ABC. The second hour of the Daytime Emmys attracted 2.8 million viewers, who came in behind the first hour of 20/20 on ABC.
In the coveted demographic of women ages 18-49, the Daytime Emmys came in third. However, the numbers are respectable and could lead to daytime Emmy’s returning to broadcast television in the coming years.
Achievements on Daytime TV were first honored on this scale at the Prime Time Emmys in 1972. That year, The Doctors beat General Hospital for outstanding Achievements in Daytime Drama – Programs. The following year, All My Children star Mary Fickett received a Prime Time Emmy Award in the Outstanding Achievement of Individuals in Daytime Drama category. Fickett’s AMC character Ruth Martin delivered a passionate speech about the Vietnam War, which earned him gold.
The late General Hospital star John Beradino (ex-Steve) defended daytime programming by getting his own awards show. In 1974, the first annual Daytime Emmy Awards were broadcast from Channel Gardens at Rockefeller Center in New York City. For many years, the Daytime Emmy’s aired from various locations in New York City, including Waldorf Astoria, Radio City Music Hall, and Madison Square Garden.
In 2006, the Daytime Emmy’s moved to the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. In 2009, the ceremony moved to the Orpheum Theater in downtown Los Angeles. In 2010 and 2011, the show was broadcast from Las Vegas. The show then switches to the Beverly Hilton hotel (in Beverly Hills), the same location from which the Golden Globes are presented.
In 2015, the Daytime Emmys were streamed from the famous Warner Bros lot. The show then moved to the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California. No one can say if next year what social distancing measures (if any) will be implemented. That, understandably, will play a role in whether next year’s awards are virtual or whether the daytime community will gather as a group in one place. Stay tuned.
