Telecasts of some of the most well-known performing arts award ceremonies are consistently among the highest rated television programs worldwide. The presentation of the awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scientists, more commonly know as the Oscars, is arguably the most-watched awards show-the Academy claims that up to billion people watch the show every year-but other big-name award shows such as those presented by the Academy of Television Art and Sciences (the Emmys) and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (the Grammys) also draw huge audiences. Smaller-scale shows focus on narrower niches within the film, television and performing arts industries.
The Academy Awards ceremony was first broadcast on NBC in 1953, and responsibility for the broadcast has shifted back and forth between NBC and ABC in the years since. The broadcast has turned into a several-hours-long extravaganza, with awards presentations punctuated by musical numbers, skits and special presentations. Coverage of the arrival of celebrities on the red carpet outside the ceremony’s venue has also become a highly anticipated event, and various networks produce their own coverage of pre-ceremony activities.
The Oscars, with their glamorous celebrities, production numbers and comedic presentations, are a model for many other awards shows that cover a variety of arts, genres and categories of entertainment. The Academy of Country Music Awards, the People’s Choice Awards, the Tony Awards are just a few of the higher profile award shows, and many cable networks, such as MTV, BET and Nickelodeon produce their own award shows. Special-interest organizations-the NAACP and GLAAD, for example-also sometimes produce award ceremonies to honor performers who have made outstanding contributions to the areas and causes to which the organizations are devoted.
