This year’s show averaged 5.9 million viewers, down from 7.4 million last year, and roughly a half-million short of the previous low recorded in 2020, a virtual ceremony mounted during the pre-vaccine stage of the coronavirus pandemic.
A few caveats apply, including the fact that the Emmys — which rotate among the four major broadcast networks — shifted to Monday night from Sunday, as they do whenever the show is carried by NBC because of the conflict with “Sunday Night Football.”
Emmy ratings usually take a hit during those NBC years, and the competition included a highly competitive NFL game between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks that averaged more than 10 million viewers.
Still, to underscore how steadily and steeply viewing of the award ceremonies has fallen, the Emmys averaged 10.2 million viewers the last time that NBC broadcast them in 2018.
HBO’s “Succession” and “The White Lotus” nabbed two of the top prizes, with the third going to Apple TV+’s comedy “Ted Lasso” for the second consecutive year. (HBO and CNN are both owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.)
This year’s Emmys featured relatively little discussion of politics, which is frequently cited as turning off some viewers.
Critics were generally unimpressed with the telecast, which was hosted by longtime “Saturday Night Live” cast member Kenan Thompson.