Emmys hit new low as just 11.9 million viewers tune in

After two solidly-rated years in 2013 (on CBS) and 2014 (on NBC), the 67th annual Primetime Emmy Awards hit a record low in viewership last night on Fox.

Nielsen says Sunday’s three-hour special on Fox averaged just 11.9 million viewers, making it the least-watched Emmycast in history. We’re in peak TV, people!

The Fox network didn’t air a traditional Pre-Emmys red carpet show this year, they instead aired the conclusion of the Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles game, which ended about 15 minutes before the awards show started.

The show narrowly beat out ABC’s 2008 broadcast, which was the previous low. FX’s The Bastard Executioner premiere notched 2.1 million same-day viewers Tuesday. But the Emmys faced football as direct competition, too, thanks to NBC’s Sunday Night Football, which doubtless dragged down the Emmy audience.

NBC’s football coverage led the network to a win in the key 18-49 demographic on Sunday with 7.7. But obviously, that didn’t help and Andy Samberg wasn’t a big enough draw to get viewers away from the Packers/Seahawks game.

Hasta luego. After a 53-year run, Univision’s Sabado Gigante signed off Saturday with 3.4 million viewers, its biggest total since 2005, while CBS’s Zoo closed its cages with 4.8 million Tuesday. Both the Grammys and Oscars air weeks after the Super Bowl, while the Tony Awards are during the summer.