The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards now have an official date. Television’s biggest night will take place on Monday, September 14, 2026, a strategic move by NBC to avoid competing with its own Sunday Night Football. The ceremony will be held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles and broadcast live on NBC and its streaming service, Peacock.
This scheduling shift continues a pattern for NBC, which has moved the Emmys to Monday during its broadcast years since 2014 to prevent schedule conflicts. The 2026 event is particularly significant as it coincides with NBC’s 100th-anniversary celebrations. The network holds the record for the most Emmy wins in television history.
Ceremony Date and Broadcast Details
The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards will air live across all time zones on Monday, September 14, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The event will be held at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles, a venue named for NBC’s streaming platform, which will also carry a live stream of the ceremony.
The decision to host on a Monday follows NBC’s established tradition for its Emmy broadcast years, ensuring the event does not compete with the network’s highly popular Sunday Night Football franchise. This same scheduling approach was used in 2014, 2018, and 2022 when NBC last aired the awards.
The Supporting Events: Creative Arts Emmys
Before the main ceremony, the behind-the-scenes talent will be honored at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards. This event celebrating technical achievements in television is scheduled as a two-night celebration on Saturday, September 5, and Sunday, September 6, 2026.
The Creative Arts Emmys recognize excellence in categories including outstanding choreography, game shows, and variety programs. These ceremonies will also be produced by the Television Academy and precede the primetime event by just over a week.
What We Are Still Waiting to Learn
Several key details about the 2026 Emmy Awards remain unknown and are expected to be announced in the coming months. The Television Academy has not yet named a host or production team for the ceremony.
When NBC last hosted the Emmys in 2022, Kenan Thompson of Saturday Night Live served as host, with production handled by Done & Dusted and Hudlin Entertainment. The network has not indicated if it will follow a similar formula for the 2026 broadcast.
The official calendar for the 2025-2026 Emmy season, including the highly anticipated nominations announcement, is also still pending. Based on previous years, the eligibility period for submitted programs will likely run from June 1, 2025, to May 31, 2026, with nominations typically announced in July 2026.
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A Look Back at Recent Emmy History
The 2025 Emmy Awards, which aired on CBS, showed a positive trend in viewership. The ceremony hosted by Nate Bargatze drew an audience of approximately 7.59 million viewers, marking a four-year high and an 8% increase from the previous year’s broadcast on ABC.
NBCUniversal had a strong showing at the 2025 awards, winning 20 Emmys. Saturday Night Live was a major contributor, earning nine awards including Outstanding Variety Special for its 50th-anniversary special. During his acceptance speech, SNL creator Lorne Michaels reflected on the milestone.
“When I won this award for the first time 50 years ago, in 1975, I was younger. And I had a lot of dreams about what would happen in my life. Not one of those dreams was that I’d still be doing the same show for the next 50 years. However, here we are.”
The 2026 ceremony will continue the broadcast network rotation for the Emmy Awards, though industry reports note that the current “wheel deal” among networks is set to expire after this cycle, potentially changing how the awards are broadcast in the future.
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Credits: NBCUniversal
