Other winners, including HBO’s “The White Lotus,” also received a shot in the arm from the awards show.
In the seven days after the Emmys, viewership of “Abbott Elementary” on TV Time increased 10.3%. Those gains were due in large part to the rise the sitcom received on September 13, the day after the Emmys aired, when the show had nearly six times as many viewers day-over-day.
Another way to look at it: The Emmy win sparked a bigger spike in interest in the show than its Season 1 premiere last December and its Emmy nominations in July combined.
How does that interest translate in terms of qualifications? According to live and same-day Nielsen data, the Season 2 premiere episode of “Abbott Elementary” saw a nearly 2% increase in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and an increase in 4% in total viewers compared to Season 1 averages.
Clearly, her big night at the Emmys helped pique the interest of fans. Brunson won Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series for her work in the show’s pilot episode, and Sheryl Lee Ralph won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as a kindergarten teacher. the old school
Ralph then proceeded to steal the show with his acceptance speech, beginning with a rendition of Dianne Reeves’ “Endangered Species.” He then delivered a moving speech that brought the audience to its feet.
“To anyone who’s ever had a dream and thought their dream wouldn’t come true, I’m here to tell you that this is what believing looks like,” Ralph said. “This is what effort looks like. And never, never give up.”
And sure, the normal press attention that comes with winning a couple of Emmys helped the show. But “Abbott Elementary” was at the center of perhaps the biggest story of the night, with many criticizing host Jimmy Kimmel for slightly overshadowing Brunson’s win. If you missed it, Will Arnett was dragging Kimmel’s “corpse” across the Emmys stage. Kimmel then remained motionless throughout Arnett’s announcement of the nominees, and as Brunson made his way to the stage and finally delivered his speech.
Kimmel, after being criticized by many for the segment, apologized to Brunson the following night on her show and invited her to give a full acceptance speech. That controversy only brought more attention to “Abbott Elementary,” which helped offset the awards show’s all-time low ratings. From ABC’s point of view, the timing couldn’t have been better either, with the premiere of the new season of “Abbott Elementary” on Wednesday, September 21.
And while “Abbott Elementary” had the biggest increase in fans after the Emmys, it wasn’t the only show of the night to see an increase.
HBO’s “The White Lotus” was the biggest award winner of the night, with 10 awards in all, including Jennifer Coolidge winning the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
“The White Lotus” saw its fan count increase nearly 6% in the week after the Emmys. That also produced a modest boost heading into the show, up 1.4% week over week.
Meanwhile, Hulu’s “The Dropout” saw a 3.9% increase in followers after the Emmys, ranking third overall. Star Amanda Seyfried won best lead actress in a limited or anthology series or movie for her portrayal of Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes.
Other big-name shows, including “Succession” and “Ted Lasso,” also garnered more interest. “Ted Lasso” was also in a similar position to “Abbott Elementary” a year ago, when it saw a 4.2% spike in fan interest on TV Time in the immediate aftermath of the Emmys. And HBO’s “Hacks,” which had the biggest increase in post-Emmy interest last year, slightly edged out “Abbott Elementary” with a 10.9% increase in followers in the days after the awards show.
Once again, there has been a noticeable drop in Emmy award ratings in recent years, but the shows that get the spotlight still end up seeing a noticeable profit afterward.
Sean Burch is a Marketing Insights Analyst at Whip Media, a WrapPRO Partner. Click here for more information from Whip Media.
