2020 DAYTIME EMMY AWARDS Cancelled, Academy Considers 'Alternative' Celebration

This year's Daytime Emmy Awards have been canceled in light of the ongoing Covid-19, which has paralyzed the entertainment industry.

NATAS released a statement on the cancellation:

"Given our concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, we have decided that we will not be staging the 47th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in Pasadena this coming June. As there are so many unknowns right now with the flow of information changing on a daily, almost hourly, basis, it would simply be irresponsible to move forward with our annual celebration of excellence in daytime television at this time."

This decision comes only weeks after announcements from the National Academy that it would postpone both its annual Technology & Engineering Emmy® Awards (at the NAB Convention in Las Vegas) and its Sports Emmy® Awards (at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City) due to the rapid spread of the virus.

"These were extremely difficult decisions to make, but at the end of the day the health and safety of our event attendees and staff must remain our paramount concern," said Adam Sharp, President & CEO, NATAS. "We are closely monitoring public heath authorities' guidance, seeking feedback from our awards communities, and evaluating the flexibility of our venue and production partners as we plan for the future in this unprecedented context."

"While we realize this is disappointing, this does not mean we will not be celebrating the work selected for recognition in our Awards judging processes," said Brent Stanton, Executive Director, Daytime Emmy Awards. "Judging continues, and we look forward to announcing our incredibly talented nominees later this Spring. We are working on some interesting alternative ideas for how to best recognize the honorees later this year and will share more details in the weeks ahead." The organization is currently at work on "alternative ideas to celebrate those who would normally have received their Emmys at the Daytime Awards. Watch for details in the weeks to come."

This year's ceremony was to be divided into three awards shows on Friday, June 12, 2020, Saturday, June 13th, 2020 and Sunday, June 14th, 2020.

This news comes on the heels of other award show postponements including the GLAAD Media Awards, the CMA Awards, and Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) is a professional, non-profit service organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, educational and technical achievements within the television industry. It recognizes excellence in television with the coveted Emmy Award for News & Documentary, Sports, Daytime Entertainment, Daytime Creative Arts & Entertainment, Public & Community Service, and Technology & Engineering.

NATAS membership consists of over 17,000 broadcast and media professionals represented in 19 regional chapters across the country. Beyond awards, NATAS has extensive educational programs including Regional Student Television and its Student Award for Excellence for outstanding journalistic work by high school students, as well as scholarships, publications, and major activities for both industry professionals and the viewing public.

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