Emmy News: Creative Arts Ceremonies Will Go Virtual; Balls of Primetime Governors Off

The pandemic may just continue to get worse and worse with every passing day, but there are several relaxations that has now being implemented too. Amidst all that, some tough calls are also being taken and the latest one in that list is the Creative Arts Emmys ceremonies — the evenings a week before the main Emmys telecast, at which the vast majority of Emmys are presented each year, covering categories pertaining to televised reality, variety, documentary, animation, comedy, drama, limited series and movies — will be conducted virtually this year "over several nights in September," the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences said Monday.

It was not specified whether those nights will be the same as those previously announced, Sept. 12 and 13. "The new format for these ceremonies is currently in development," the TV Academy said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the main Emmys telecast remains scheduled for Sept. 20. The TV Academy and its 2020 broadcast partner, ABC, are in the midst on discussions regarding the format and production of that ceremony, and "are committed to delivering a show that honors television’s unparalleled role throughout 2020 in bringing people together during a worldwide pandemic as well as acknowledge and support the unprecedented national and global demand for social justice and equality."

(Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that multiple producers have been in consultation with the TV Academy and ABC about different ways to pull off the show despite the pandemic.)

In another major development, for the first time in Emmys history there will be no Governors Ball following either the Creative Arts Emmys or the Emmys ceremonies, "a precautionary measure to protect the health and safety of Emmy winners, nominees and guests during the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic."

"This has been an incredibly challenging time for our industry, and though we are now making plans to get back to work, we know there are many still suffering from the work stoppage caused by the coronavirus," TV Academy chairman and CEO Frank Scherma said, noting that his organization will also be making a $1 million donation to The Actors Fund COVID-19 Relief Fund in order to support "those in the entertainment industry who are struggling to meet basic needs due to layoffs, employment furloughs and other impacts of the pandemic" — including many of the TV Academy's roughly 24,000 members.