Despite the nominations of several productions airing on streaming services, fewer viewers watched the Emmy Awards on television and online stream than last year. According to estimates by Nielsen, the show had been viewed by 11.9 million, a decrease in nearly 4 million viewers from last year’s NBC broadcast of 15.6 million-which aired on a Monday in August without a NFL broadcast.
The previous low was 12.3 million in 1990 (in its first year on Fox) and 2008 on ABC; the most recent high remains 17.8 million viewers in 2013 on CBS, and historically a record nearly 37 million who watched NBC’s telecast in 1986.
According to Variety, the Emmys trail the following award shows in ratings in the last year: Oscars on ABC (37.3 million), the Grammys on CBS (24.8 million), the Golden Globes on NBC (19.3 million), the CMAs on ABC (16.3 million) and the ACMs on CBS (16 million). This year the Emmys ranked higher than ABC’s broadcasts of the AMAs (11.6 million) and Billboard Music Awards (11.2 million).
Despite the low television rankings, the Emmys were trending on social media, nearly 7 million Facebook users had 14 million interactions related to the event. The most trending moment was Viola Davis’ win for lead actress in a drama series. States with the highest number of social discussions on Emmy-related topics were California, Illinois and New York. Nearly 1 million tweets had been viewed more than 188 million times.
The 2015 Emmys honored productions from several networks, including historical wins for outstanding productions, and individual performances. Television, one of entertainment’s most popular mediums, continues to air in new ways due to the use of technology for online streaming. While the Emmys, the medium’s most prestigious event, continues to be appreciated by the creators of television-the ratings indicate an opportunity for reaching new fans and reconnecting with customary ones in a new way, perhaps airing television’s most iconic award ceremony through a streaming service in addition to its traditional broadcast.