National Emmy® Awards for Daytime, Sports, and News & Documentary television programming, as well as achievement in television Technology & Engineering, will be recognized via remote video production for the remainder of the 2019-2020 awards cycle, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) announced today.
The Academy had previously determined that the Daytime Emmy® Awards would proceed without in-person ceremonies but had continued to plan for Sports, News & Documentary, and Technology & Engineering events. Recent comments and proposed economic reopening timetables released by federal, state, and local officials in New York and Los Angeles indicate events of more than 1,000 attendees in close proximity will remain restricted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“While it appears unlikely that officials would even permit these large-crowd events to be held this year, it is also clear that there will be a lag of time between being permitted to have an event and being able to provide an environment in which all attendees feel safe and comfortable attending it,” said NATAS President & CEO Adam Sharp. “Ultimately, a single person-to-person transmission resulting in serious infection would be devastating evidence of mistaken judgment in proceeding.”
Awards in National Academy-administered Emmy® competitions will be presented instead in a series of productions later this year, leveraging multiple remote video production technologies to involve nominees and presenters. Program dates and times will be determined following upcoming nomination announcements for the Daytime Emmy® in May and the News & Documentary Emmy® this summer.
Today’s decision does not impact ceremonies produced by NATAS’ 19 regional chapters — the majority of which have already committed to “virtual” events — nor those produced by NATAS’ sister academies: The Television Academy (Primetime Emmy® Awards) and the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The International Emmy® Awards for News & Current Affairs will continue to be presented as part of the NATAS News & Documentary program, however.
The NATAS programs will be available on all leading “Smart TV” platforms via the Academy’s forthcoming apps, as well as through other distribution partners.
ORIGINAL EVENT SCHEDULE
The originally-scheduled dates for NATAS’ 2020 ceremonies had been:
The 71st Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy® Awards
April 19, 2020 — NAB Show, Las Vegas, Nevada
Previously postponed on March 11, 2020 to October 2020
The 41st Annual Sports Emmy® Awards
April 28, 2020 — New York, NY
Previously postponed on March 13, 2020, to Fall 2020
The 47th Annual Daytime Emmy® Awards
June 12-14, 2020 — Pasadena, California
Previously postponed on March 19, 2020 to “virtual” ceremony in Fall 2020
The 41st Annual News & Documentary Emmy® Awards
September 2020 — New York, N
