The broadcast of the Emmy Awards ceremony that was slated by critics for including a bizarre, reality TV show based sketch has drawn its lowest audience ever.
Reuters reports that, according to preliminary data, the 3-hour long Sunday evening broadcast averaged 12.2 million viewers, which is 100,000 less than the 1990 show broadcast on Fox.
Many of the big winners on the night – which included ‘Mad Men’, ’30 Rock’, ‘Damages’ and ‘Breaking Bad’ – were programmes which themselves have relatively small audiences. Sports events such as the last game at Yankee Stadium and American Football are also thought to have damaged the audience figures.
But critics also cited an ad-libbed lengthy opening sketch that featured reality TV hosts - Howie Mandell (‘Deal or No Deal’), Ryan Seacrest (‘American Idol’) Jeff Probst (‘Survivor’), Tom Bergeron (‘Dancing with the Stars’) and Heidi Klum (‘Project Runway’) - attempting to satirise the fact that the they had nothing to say.
‘Dancing With The Stars’ host Bergeron and Klum then performed a peculiar gag that involved William Shatner ripping off Klum’s clothes.
The show over-ran significantly, forcing award acceptors to rush their speeches by the mid-way point.
Reviewing the Emmys, USA Today wrote: "It was hideously awful from start to harried finish, dragged down by five amateurish reality anchors who would have been unwelcome as guests, let alone hosts."
