COVID-19 Shifts 2020 Emmy Season, Primetime Ceremony Stays on Sept. 20

The unprecedented COVID-19 / Coronavirus pandemic continues to impact the entertainment industry in a number of ways. The latest announcement hails from the Television Academy which today revealed a restructuring of their 2020 awards season calendar as well as modifications of rules related to hanging episodes. The change results in a shortening of both Phase One and Phase Two voting windows. The final 72nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony will, for now, remain on Sunday, September 20, 2020.

Here is the revised Emmy Awards calendar:

June 5: Entry deadline
July 2: Nominations-round voting begins
July 13: Nominations-round voting ends
July 28: Nominations announced
August 21: Final-round voting begins
August 31: Final-round voting ends

There is also no planned impact to the September 12 and 13 Creative Arts Emmy ceremony. However, the change does cut five days out of Phase One and four days out of Phase Two. Additionally, and perhaps even more significant to the awards-based economy, the Television Academy suspended all For Your Consideration events for the 2020 Emmy season. This includes events containing a live audience, streaming or recorded postings.

Changes to the “hanging episodes” rule for both series and limited series are outlined as follows:

Due to production and programming delays, the Academy has extended the eligibility date for “hanging episodes” to June 30 (formerly May 31).

Series eligibility: To qualify for eligibility in the current eligibility year, the series must have premiered by the end of the eligibility year (May 31, 2020). If the series has one or more episodes that fall into the subsequent eligibility year, those episodes must be broadcast or posted on an accessible platform by June 30 to gain eligibility for the current eligibility year. A minimum of six eligible episodes is still required to qualify for series eligibility.

Limited Series eligibility: To qualify for eligibility in the current eligibility year, the limited series must have premiered by the end of the eligibility year (May 31, 2020). If the limited series has one or more episodes/parts that fall into the subsequent eligibility year, those episodes must be broadcast or posted on an accessible platform by June 30 to gain eligibility for the current eligibility year, provided the complete limited series is made available by the June 30 deadline. If those episodes/parts are not able to be broadcast/posted by June 30, then the complete limited series, along with the individual achievements, will be eligible in the subsequent eligibility year.