Will the Emmy Awards Be Unified? The TV Academies Are Holding Merger Talks

Could the Emmy Awards be reunited after nearly 50 years of being split apart?

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences on Monday said that they are holding “exploratory talks” about reunifying the two organizations ever since they split apart in 1977 in an acrimonious separation.

The Los Angeles-based TV Academy oversees the Primetime Emmy Awards, which honors TV entertainment programming, while the New York-based NATAS oversees the Daytime Emmy Awards, the Sports Emmys, the Childrens & Family Emmys, the News & Documentary Emmys, regional Emmys, and International Emmys

The merger, if it happens, would unify the Emmys under one roof, raising the distinct possibility of a single media rights deal for the awards. The Primetime Emmys do not yet have a TV home for next year, having worked in a rotation with the broadcast networks going back years.

This year’s Primetime Emmys will air on NBC and stream on Peacock, with Mariska Hargitay hosting.

NATAS, meanwhile, has struggled to get substantial media rights deals for its awards. According to tax filings, NATAS had revenue of $9.8 million in fiscal 2024 against expenses of $10.4 million. ATAS, meanwhile, had revenue of over $53.5 million, against expenses of $49 million, thanks largely to the primary Emmys broadcast and related revenue.

TV, of course, is undergoing a dramatic overhaul amid industry consolidation and a challenging streaming environment.

“Television remains the most powerful medium we have to shape culture and prompt conversations that define us—no matter the size of the screen,” according to a statement from both organizations. “With the business of television undergoing such a monumental transformation, this is the right moment to explore a reunification of our Academies, providing our members and our industry with a bolder voice advocating for them and a stronger partner to navigate the future with them.”