Fox is awaiting the outcome of negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) before deciding to reschedule the Primetime Emmy Awards telecast, network insiders told TheWrap.
With less than 36 hours left on the Hollywood Actors Guild’s current contract, the Television Academy and Fox are discussing possible new dates to broadcast the 75th annual celebration of the best of the big screen, with the Academy vying for a November date for the awards ceremony, while the broadcast network seems to be in favor of January.
Fox insiders told TheWrap that there has been no need to lobby during discussions with the Academy. If necessary, the network and the Television Academy will move to the date that best suits the program, provided there is an opening in the schedule. As the host network, the final decision on the air date would be in the hands of Fox.
The folks at Fox and the Television Academy told TheWrap that no decisions have been made and the show is still scheduled to air as planned on Monday, September 18.
The nominees for this year’s Emmy Awards will be announced at 8:30 am PT on Wednesday, with a faint but present reference to the show’s scheduled air date of September 18. If the union calls a strike on Wednesday night, Fox and the Television Academy are expected to decide on a new date for the awards show in late July.
Moving to January would carry risks for the awards show, as it would ultimately celebrate the accomplishments of a six-month shortlist, as he first noted. Variety. The show, which usually airs just before the start of a new TV season in the fall, would also end up airing in the midst of busy movie awards season, along with a more up-to-date lineup of potential honorees at shows like the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
The industry at large is waiting to see if SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP will reach an agreement before the Wednesday night deadline, or if Hollywood actors will join the writers on the picket line at the end of the week.
Previously, the groups were unable to reach a new deal before their existing contract expired on June 30. A strike was temporarily averted when negotiations were extended until Wednesday. But the union sent strike rules to members on Monday, indicating that protracted talks may not reach an agreement before the strike begins.
In the final hours of the negotiations, two people with knowledge told TheWrap that the AMPTP requested federal mediators to help in the talks to try to avoid the strike. If no agreement is reached, the actors will join the pickets starting Friday.
