Broadcasting & Cable‘s well-sourced Paige Albiniak scoops that HLN is closing in on a deal to acquire TV rights to the Daytime Emmy Awards. AOL is believed to also be in on the deal, as the official “social media partner.”
The awards honor talk shows, game shows and dramas like soap operas that air outside of primetime and late night. As Albiniak notes however, the show has had a rough few years:
The awards, which are taking place on Saturday, June 23, at the Beverly Hilton, are having an increasingly tough time staying relevant as daytime’s once glamorous and popular soap operas are being cancelled and replaced by talk shows.
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Indeed, the Daytime Emmys most recently aired on CBS, but the network and production company could not come to terms for keeping the show there.
As odd as it sounds, the Daytime Emmys actually make some sense for HLN.
While its most popular program, “Nancy Grace,” is decidedly crime-centric, the network has been moving toward an entertainment focus across much of its programming for a few years now.
Having a bona fide Emmy Awards program as a special event will likely draw many viewers who may be unfamiliar with the network, giving them a chance to sample. In addition, with NBCUniversal’s E! network announcing a shift away from entertainment news and toward original scripted and reality programming, HLN may be looking to capitalize on that vacuum.