The annual Emmy Awards were officially delayed until mid-August due to the writers and actors strikes in Hollywood. The awards ceremony, which is usually held in early September, was moved back two weeks to August 25th after the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) failed to reach an agreement with the Hollywood studios.
The WGA and SAG, who represent workers in the entertainment industry, had been in negotiations with the studios over the new media revenue coming to the writers and actors from DVD sales and their involvement in product television. When the negotiations broke down in late June, both unions announced a strike, which has left movie and television production on hold.
The delay of the Emmy Awards results from the inability to hold the traditional Emmy nomination process due to the strike. With the production of new scripted television on hold, there is not enough fresh material to evaluate for the awards. As a solution, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the coordinators of the Emmys, announced that the 2008 Emmy nominations would be determined using material from the 2007-8 television season. This decision was met with staunch criticism from many in the industry, who feel that the Emmy awards are not recognizing the quality of current shows because of the strike.
Despite the criticisms, the Academy is determined to hold an awards show this year. The ceremony will be broadcast live on August 25, although the format and pre-recorded acceptance speeches will be much different than past award shows.
In the end, the 2008 Emmy Awards will be viewed by many as the first award show held in the midst of the writer and actors strike. With television production currently on hold, the awards will give hope to industry workers that one day soon the writers and actors will settle their contract disputes and return to work.