北京时间9月20日凌晨，美国电视艾美奖举办了盛大的颁奖仪式，HBO公司制作的《天使在美国》在短剧或电视电影类中几乎囊括了所有的奖项。HBO的《黑道家族》还当选剧情类最佳剧集。FOX的《揠苗助长——试播集》获得喜剧类最佳剧集。但此次艾美奖的收视率却是历年来较低的，只有1400万观众收看了电视转播。

ABC's telecast of the 56th annual Primetime Emmy Awards proved to be one of the least watched editions of the show in years, with 14 million viewers tuning in, according to preliminary figures on Monday.

If those numbers hold up in final data to be reported Tuesday by Nielsen Media Research, ABC's Emmy audience Sunday night would fall 3 million viewers shy of the low-rated 2001 show on CBS, which aired opposite the final game of the World Series.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Sunday's broadcast attracted the Emmys' smallest audience since the show aired in 1990 on the then-fledgling Fox network, averaging just 12.3 million viewers.

CBS managed to surpass ABC for Sunday night as a whole with its prime-time slate of "60 Minutes" and drama reruns, according to Nielsen, though CBS also benefited from a heavily watched football game that ran over into prime time.

Still, it was ABC's biggest Sunday night audience in about 18 months, not counting sports programs and the Academy Awards, the network said.

This year's three-hour show, hosted by comedian Garry Shandling, was dominated by HBO victories as gangster series "The Sopranos" finally won the coveted prize for best drama and the landmark production "Angels in America" clinched a record 11 Emmys for a miniseries.

The fact that the Emmys were swept by HBO, a premium cable network that reaches a fraction of the total U.S. television audience, may have dampened interest in this year's show.

ABC itself has struggled in the ratings in recent years, and executives at corporate parent the Walt Disney Co. have promised to turn around the loss-making network. ABC finished last season in fourth place behind its three biggest rivals in the ratings race for viewers aged 18 to 49.

The Emmy awards broadcast drew nearly 17.9 million viewers last year on Fox and 19.8 million in 2002 on NBC.