The
Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in
American primetime television programming. First awarded in 1949, they were originally referred to as just the "
Emmy Awards" until the first
Daytime Emmy Award ceremonies were held in the 1970s, and the word "primetime" was added to disambiguate between the two.
The Primetime Emmys generally air in mid-September, on the Sunday before the official start of the fall television season. They are currently seen in rotation among the four major networks (
CBS,
ABC,
NBC, and
FOX). However, the
2006 Primetime Emmys (broadcast on NBC) aired a few weeks early, on Sunday,
August 27,
2006, in order to accommodate NBC's coverage of
Sunday Night NFL Football beginning in September.
Award categories
Current awards
Primetime Emmys are currently awarded in the following categories:
