TV Emmys hit new ratings low amid stiff competition and delayed ceremony For the first time in their broadcast history, the Emmy Awards aired opposite an NFL playoff game. By Maureen Lee Lenker Maureen Lee Lenker Maureen Lee Lenker is a senior writer at Entertainment Weekly with over seven years of experience in the entertainment industry. An award-winning journalist, she's written for Turner Classic Movies, Ms. Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, and more. She's worked at EW for six years covering film, TV, theater, music, and books. The author of EW's quarterly romance review column, "Hot Stuff," Maureen holds Master's degrees from both the University of Southern California and the University of Oxford. Her debut novel, It Happened One Fight, is now available. Follow her for all things related to classic Hollywood, musicals, the romance genre, and Bruce Springsteen. EW's editorial guidelines Published on January 16, 2024 06:16PM EST It seems the Emmys are no longer must-see television. The 75th Primetime Emmy Awards were watched by 4.3 million people Monday night on Fox, marking the ceremony's lowest viewership number since records have been kept, according to preliminary Nielsen data. (Final ratings will be released Wednesday, with a bump expected.) The previous low was the 5.9 million viewers notched by the most recent ceremony, in 2022. Monday's show faced stiffer competition than usual, having been delayed from a traditional August or September slot due to last year's Hollywood writers' and actors' strikes. The evening's counterprogramming included an NFL playoff game featuring the Philadelphia Eagles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as well as the Iowa Republican caucuses. Anthony Anderson hosting the 75th Primetime Emmys. Monica Schipper/WireImage A Fox spokesperson framed the ratings as a victory in spite of the low numbers. "Last night’s telecast of the well-reviewed 75th Emmy Awards averaged a 0.85 rating among Adults 18-49 and 4.3 million total viewers," they said. "This marks FOX's most-watched Monday unscripted telecast in over eight-and-a-half years (since 6/15/15, excluding sports) and most-watched Monday with entertainment programming in over a year-and-a-half (since 5/16/22)." Still, it can't be denied that it's a striking fall for the broadcast. Last June, the Tony Awards also drew 4.3 million total viewers, and they are historically a more niche ceremony. The Emmys couldn't even beat out a rerun of NCIS , which nabbed 4.9 million viewers on CBS. In addition to the intense competition, the Emmys may also have been hurt by awards fatigue, coming on the heels of the Golden Globes (Jan. 7) and the Critics Choice Awards (Jan. 14). Audiences will now have a break from red carpet affairs until the Grammy Awards on Feb. 4. And the Emmys will have a chance to bounce back in the ratings in September, when they return on ABC. See the full list of Emmy winners. Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. Related content: 2023 Emmy Awards: See the complete winners list The best and worst moments from the 2023 Emmy Awards Cheers cast returns to the bar on the 2023 Emmy Awards