The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of
Emmy Awards
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based
National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), also known as the National Television Academy until 2007, is an American professional service organization founded in 1955 for "the advancement of the arts and sciences of televisio ...
(NATAS), the Daytime Emmys are presented in recognition of excellence in American
daytime television programming. The first ceremony was held in
1974, expanding what was originally a
prime time
Prime time, or peak time, is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for television shows. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...
-themed Emmy Award. Ceremonies generally are held in May or June, but starting in 2025, the ceremony will be held in October.
History
The first
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
ceremony took place on January 25, 1949. The first daytime-themed Emmy Awards were given out at the
Primetime Emmy Awards
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
ceremony in 1972, when ''
The Doctors'' and ''
General Hospital
''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...
'' were nominated for
Outstanding Achievement in a Daytime Drama. That year, ''The Doctors'' won the first Best Show Daytime Emmy. In addition, the award for Outstanding Achievement by an Individual in a Daytime Drama was given to
Mary Fickett from ''
All My Children
''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2 ...
''. A previous category "Outstanding Achievement in Daytime Programming" was added once in 1968 with individuals like ''
Days of Our Lives'' star
Macdonald Carey nominated. Due to voting rules of the time, judges could opt to either award one or no Emmy, and in the end they decided that no one nominated was deserving of the golden statuette. This snub outraged then-''
Another World'' writer
Agnes Nixon, causing her to write in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', "...after viewing the recent fiasco of the Emmy awards, it may well be considered a mark of distinction to have been ignored by this group."
Longtime ''General Hospital'' star
John Beradino became a leading voice to have daytime talent honored with special recognition for their work. The first separate awards show made just for daytime programming was broadcast in 1974 from the
Channel Gardens at
Rockefeller Center in New York. The hosts that year were
Barbara Walters and
Peter Marshall. For years, the gala was held in New York, usually at nearby
Radio City Music Hall, with occasional broadcasts from
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
. In 2006, the Daytime Emmys was moved to the
Kodak Theatre in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, the first time they had ever been held outside of New York. The Kodak Theatre also hosted the 2007 and 2008 ceremonies, before it was moved again in 2009 to the
Orpheum Theatre across town. In 2010 and 2011, the Daytime Emmys were instead held in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
. From 2012 onward, the Daytime Emmys have been held at various venues in Los Angeles, never to return again to New York (most likely as a reflection of the current state of American daytime dramas, where all New York-produced network soap operas have since been cancelled, and the ones left on the air are being recorded in Los Angeles).
In 2007, child voice actress Danica Lee, the voice for Ming-Ming in ''
Wonder Pets!'' became the first Asian nominee overall in Daytime Emmy history while
Eric Bauza became the first adult Asian nominee in Daytime Emmy history.
Due to the relatively small talent pool in daytime television, it has become common for the same people to be nominated repeatedly. The most infamous of these is ''All My Children'' star
Susan Lucci, whose name became synonymous with being nominated for an award and never winning, after having been nominated 18 times without receiving an award before finally winning a Daytime Emmy for Best Actress in 1999.
In 2003, in response to heavy criticism of
bloc voting in favor of shows with the largest casts, an additional voting round was added to all the drama acting categories. Known as the "pre-nominations", one or two actors from each show is selected to then move on and be considered for the primary nominations for the awards.
With the rise of
cable television
Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with bro ...
in the 1980s, cable programs first became eligible for the Daytime Emmys in 1989. In 2013, in response to ''All My Children'' being moved from broadcast to
streaming television
Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as films and television series, streamed over the Internet. Standing in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air aerial systems, cable t ...
, NATAS began accepting nominations to web-only series. The
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), also colloquially known as the Television Academy, is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the Television in the United States, television industry in the United S ...
(ATAS) also began accepting original online-only streaming television programs in 2013.
In October 2019, as part of several initiatives regarding gender identity, the NATAS decided to replace both the younger actor and actress in a drama categories with a single gender-neutral one for 2020.
The
47th Daytime Emmy Awards were postponed to June 26, 2020, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, with the traditional in-person ceremony being replaced by a television special featuring remote appearances, and the announcement of winners in leading categories.
In December 2021, the ATAS and NATAS announced major realignments to the Emmy Awards, accounting for the growth of
streaming services by aligning their categories and the ceremonies' scopes around factors such as the themes and frequency of such programming, rather than dayparts. This resulted in most dramas (besides soap operas) now falling exclusively under the scope of the Primetime Emmy Awards, and categories for children's television being spun out into the newly established
Children's and Family Emmy Awards
The Children's and Family Emmy Awards, or Children's and Family Emmys, are a part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the National Academy of Television Arts a ...
.
NATAS has periodically awarded the Chairman's Crystal Pillar Award, for special achievement in daytime television, including a 2011 award for
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...
and her
eponymous syndicated talk show. In 2021, the Crystal Pillar was awarded to 16 daytime television professionals who "envisioned and implemented procedures that made safe production of media possible during the COVID pandemic" as part of the
48th Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
In January 2025, NATAS president Adam Sharp stated that beginning with the 52nd ceremony, the Daytime Emmy Awards would move from its previous May/June scheduling to October, switching places with the
News and Documentary Emmy Awards to highlight the "timely nature" of news and documentary content.
Rules
Among the Daytime Emmy rules, a show must originally air on American television during the eligibility period between January 1 and December 31. Historically, in order to be considered a ''national daytime'' show, the program was required to air between 2 a.m. and 6 p.m., and to at least 50 percent of the country.
Shows in syndication, whose air times vary between media markets, could either be entered in the Daytime or Primetime Emmys (provided they still reach the 50 percent national reach), but not in both.
Game shows that reached the 50 percent threshold could be entered into the Daytime Emmys if they normally aired before 8 p.m.; otherwise, they were only eligible for the Primetime Emmys.
Web television shows must be available for downloading or streaming to more than 50 percent of the country, and like shows in syndication they can only enter in one of the national Emmy competitions. A show that enters into the Daytime Emmys cannot also be entered into the
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
s or any other national Emmy competition. Entries must be submitted by late December. Most award categories also require entries to include DVDs or tape masters of the show. For example, most series categories require the submitted DVD to include any one or two episodes that originally aired during the eligibility period.
Voting is done by peer judging panels. Any active Academy member who has national credits for at least two years and within the last five years is eligible to be a judge. Depending on the category, voting is done using either a ratings score criteria or a preferential scoring system.
As of the
49th edition, eligibility for the Daytime Emmy Awards is now based on factors such as thematics and broadcasting frequency, with certain categories having been moved to other Emmy presentations. In particular:
* Only daytime serial dramas—defined as an
episodic, multi-camera drama that airs on a weekday basis, or a
reboot or
spin-off of such a series—are eligible for drama awards at the Daytime Emmy Awards. All other scripted comedies and dramas now fall under the ATAS and Primetime Emmy Awards, regardless of scheduling.
* Programming targeting viewers aged 15 and younger were spun out into the new
Children's and Family Emmy Awards
The Children's and Family Emmy Awards, or Children's and Family Emmys, are a part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the National Academy of Television Arts a ...
, also organized by the NATAS.
*
Talk show
A talk show is a television programming, radio programming or podcast genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show', pp.3-4Erler, Robert (201 ...
s are divided between the Daytime and Primetime Emmy Awards based on "format and style characteristics reflective of current programming in the daytime or
late night space".
* Categories for
morning show
Breakfast television (Europe and Australia) or morning show (Canada and the United States) is a type of news broadcasting, news or infotainment television programme that broadcasts Live television, live in the morning (typically broadcast pro ...
s were moved to the
News & Documentary Emmy Awards.
* Categories for
game show
A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...
s and instructional/do it yourself (DIY) programming remained split between the Daytime and Primetime Emmy Awards for 2022. Most game show categories were then moved to the Primetime Emmys in 2023, while those game shows featuring children as contestants were moved to the Children's and Family Emmys.
Telecast
The show originally aired during the daytime hours (except for the 1983 and 1984 awards, which weren't televised) but moved to primetime in 1991. For many years, the show was produced by one of its own Lifetime Achievement honorees,
Dick Clark
Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American television and radio personality and television producer who hosted ''American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 1989. He also hosted five incarnations of the Pyramid (game show), ...
. Each show from 2006 to 2008 was produced by White Cherry Entertainment.
NBC often aired special primetime episodes of its soaps (such as ''
Another World: Summer Desire'') as a
lead-in to the ceremony. In 2002, 2005, and 2007, CBS aired special primetime editions of ''
The Price Is Right'' as a lead-in (the first of which tying into its then-host
Bob Barker being host of the ceremony, and the last being a primetime encore of his final episode as host, which aired earlier in the day).
In August 2009,
The CW
The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...
broadcast the Daytime Emmys for the first time, due to the other networks declining to carry it (at the time the network did have
one daytime program, ''
Judge Jeanine Pirro''). The airing delivered the ceremony's lowest ratings ever (0.6/2 in 18–49, 2.72m),
but it did outperform The CW's weak averages on the night that summer. The second time around,
Associated Television International brought the 37th Daytime Emmy Awards to CBS, as well as the 38th, the following year. On May 3, 2012, it was announced and confirmed that
HLN would air the 39th ceremony on June 23, 2012.
In that ceremony, an additional non-Emmy award was awarded by the program's social media partner,
AOL, for Best
Viral Video
Viral videos are video, videos that become popular through viral phenomenon, a viral process of Internet sharing, primarily through video sharing websites such as YouTube as well as social media and email.Lu Jiang, Yajie Miao, Yi Yang, ZhenZhon ...
Series. With 912,000 viewers (not counting four repeat broadcasts which brought the total to 2 million), the broadcast was "the most watched regularly scheduled, non-news telecast" ever on HLN, but by far the least-watched Daytime Emmy ceremony ever.
For the first time in the event's four-decade history, the 2014 Daytime Emmy ceremony was not broadcast on TV and instead aired only online, but the Daytime Awards telecast eventually returned to television the following year thanks to a two-year deal with basic cable channel
Pop. However, for 2016, the academy announced that ceremony would not be televised for the second time, citing the "current climate for awards shows".
In 2020, the remotely-produced "virtual" ceremony for the 47th Daytime Emmy Awards aired on CBS, marking its return to both broadcast TV and CBS for the first time since 2011.
On April 1, 2021, the NATAS subsequently announced a two-year deal with CBS, covering the
48th and 49th Daytime Emmy Awards.
Award categories
Daytime Emmys
Daytime Emmys are awarded in the following categories:
;Programming
*
Outstanding Drama Series
*
Outstanding Daytime Talk Series
*
Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program
*
Outstanding Culinary Program
*
Outstanding Entertainment News Program
;Acting
*
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
*
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
*
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
*
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
*
Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series
;Hosting
*
Outstanding Talk Show Host
*
Outstanding Culinary Host
;Writing/Directing
*
Directing for a Drama Series
*
Writing for a Drama Series
Daytime Creative Arts Emmys
Creative Arts Emmy Awards are awarded in the following categories:
;Art Direction
* Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design
;Casting
* Casting
;Costumes
* Costume Design/Styling
;Directing
* Directing in a Lifestyle/Culinary/Travel Program
* Directing in a Talk Show/Morning Program
*
Special Class Directing
;Editing
* Multiple Camera Editing for a Drama Series
* Multiple Camera Editing for a Series
*
Single Camera Editing for a Series
;Hairstyling
* Hairstyling for a Drama Series
* Hairstyling for a Series
;Lighting Direction
* Lighting Direction for a Drama Series
* Lighting Direction for a Series
;Main Title and Graphic Design
;Makeup
* Makeup
;Music
* Music Direction and Composition
;Performance
*
Host in a Lifestyle/Culinary Program
;Programming
* Outstanding Lifestyle Program
*
Outstanding Special Class Series
*
Outstanding Special Class Special
* Outstanding Special Class – Short Format Daytime Program
* Outstanding Travel Program
;Promotional Announcement
* Promotional Announcement – Episodic
* Promotional Announcement – Institutional
;Sound Editing and Mixing
* Live and Direct to Tape Sound Mixing
* Sound Mixing and Sound Editing
;Stunt Coordination
;Technical Direction
*
Single Camera Photography
* Technical Team
;Writing
*
Special Class Writing
Retired categories
;Programming
*
Outstanding Children/Youth/Family Special (1974–2007)
*
Outstanding Children's Animated Program[
* Outstanding Pre-School Children's Animated Program][
* Outstanding Children's Series][
* Outstanding Pre-School Children's Series][
* Outstanding Special Class Animated Program][
* Outstanding Digital Daytime Drama Series (2011–2021)]
* Outstanding Game Show (1974–2022)[
* Outstanding Morning Program (2007–2021)]
;Acting
* Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series (1985–2019)
* Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series (1985–2019)
* Outstanding Younger Performer in a Drama Series (2020–2023)
;Art Direction
;Hosting
* Outstanding Game Show Host (1974–2022)[
;Casting
* Casting for an Animated Series or Special][
* Casting for a Children's Program][
* Casting for a Drama or Daytime Fiction program
;Costumes
* Costume Design for a Drama Series
;Directing
* Directing in an Animated Program][
* Directing in a Preschool Animated Program][
* Directing in a Children's Series][
* Directing Team for a Daytime Fiction Program][
* Voice Directing for a Daytime Animated Series][
* Directing in a Game/Audience Participation Show (removed in 2006)
* Directing in a Game Show (2015–2020)
;Editing
* Editing for an Animated Program][
* Editing for a Preschool Animated Program][
;Individual Achievement in Animation][
;Art Direction
* Art Direction/Set Direction/Scenic Design for a Drama or Daytime Fiction Program
;Lighting Direction
* Lighting Direction for a Drama Series
;Music
* Music Direction and Composition for a Preschool, Children's or Animated Program][
* Original Song in a Children's, Young Adult or Animated Program][
* Original Song for a Preschool, Children's or Animated Program][
* Outstanding Original Song
* Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series
* Original Song – Drama
* Original Song for a Series
* Original Song – Main Title and Promo
* Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series
;New Approaches
* New Approaches – Enhancement to a Daytime Program or Series][
* New Approaches – Original Daytime Program or Series][
;Performance
* Performer in a Children/Youth/Family Special (1989–2007)
* Outstanding Musical Performance in a Daytime Program (2016–2019)
* Performer in an Animated Program][
* Performer in a Preschool Animated Program][
* Performer in a Children's Series][
* Younger Performer in a Children's Program][
;Sound Editing and Mixing
* Film Sound Editing (1985–1995)
* Film Sound Mixing (1985–1995)
* Sound Editing (1996–2002)
* Sound Mixing (1996–2002)
* Sound Editing – Special Class (1996–2002)
* Sound Mixing – Special Class (1996–2002)
* Sound Editing – Live Action or Animation (2003–2011)
* Sound Mixing – Live Action or Animation (2003–2011)
* Sound Mixing and Sound Editing for an Animated Program][
* Sound Mixing and Sound Editing for a Preschool Animated Program][
* Sound Editing – Animation][
* Sound Editing for a Preschool Animated Program][
* Sound Mixing – Animation][
* Sound Mixing for a Preschool Animated Program][
* Sound Editing – Live Action
* Sound Mixing – Live Action
* Sound Mixing and Editing for a Drama or Daytime Fiction Program
* Live and Direct to Tape Sound Mixing for a Drama Series
;Technical Direction
* Technical Team for a Drama Series
;Writing
* Writing in an Animated Program (1992–1994, 2009–2021)][
* Writing in a Children's Series][
* Writing in a Preschool Animated Program][
;Spanish programming/talent
* Outstanding Morning Program in Spanish]
* Outstanding Entertainment Program in Spanish
* Outstanding Daytime Talent in Spanish
Ratings
Record low ratings loom for Daytime Emmy Awards - Ratings
. TVbytheNumbers.Zap2it.com. Retrieved on May 11, 2014.
See also
* List of American television awards
This is an index to articles about notable awards that are or were given by several organizations for contributions in various fields of television in the United States. The most notable are the Emmy Awards, considered as one of the EGOT, four ma ...
* List of Daytime Emmy Award winners in acting and drama
* List of Primetime Emmy Award winners
This list showcases the Primetime Emmy Award winners in the comedy program, drama program, variety program, and lead actors categories.
In the early days of the Primetime Emmy Awards, categories awarded by the Academy of Television Arts & Science ...
*
Notes
References
External links
*
{{Television in the United States
Awards established in 1974
1974 establishments in the United States
Lifetime achievement awards
American annual television specials