Creative Arts Emmys 2020 Go Virtual — But What About the Primetime Emmys?
The Television Academy is developing a new format for the 2020 Creative Arts Emmys as a result of real-world events.
Now, it will be an “innovative virtual event” scheduled for “several nights in September.” Also, the annual Governors Ball events that usually take place after the Emmys and Creative Arts Emmys have been canceled, with the health and safety of the Emmy winners, nominees, and guests in mind due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (This is a first in Emmy history.)
Additionally, the Television Academy has donated $1 million to The Actors Fund COVID-19 Relief Fund. (The Actors Fund has provided more than $12.5 million in emergency financial assistance to 10,598 people since March 18.) “This has been an incredibly challenging time for our industry; and though we are now making plans to get back to work, we know there are many still suffering from the work stoppage caused by the coronavirus,” Television Academy Chairman and CEO Frank Scherma said in a statement.
“As the industry reemerges, we will continue to support our more than 24,000 members and our community through this donation and our Academy’s programs and resources,” he added. That donation will help support those in the entertainment industry who have been dealing with things such as layoffs and employment furloughs and struggle to meet their basic needs.
As for the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards telecast, scheduled for Sunday, September 20 on ABC, the network and the Television Academy are discussing its format and production. Whatever the Emmys honoring those in primetime television programming, end up being, the plan is for “a show that honors television’s unparalleled role throughout 2020 in bringing people together during a worldwide pandemic as well as acknowledge and support the unprecedented national and global demand for social justice and equality.”
The Creative Arts Emmys award artists and craftspeople in categories in reality, variety, documentary, animation, comedy, drama, limited series, and movies.
(Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images)
These are just the latest plans for award shows due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Daytime Emmy Awards also went the virtual route (airing Friday, June 26 at 8/7c on CBS). The 2020 MTV Movie & TV Awards were postponed to December (a move that had been previously discussed). The 74th Annual Tony Awards were also postponed (from the original June 7 date).
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