The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences delivered a crushing blow to soap opera fans this year when it was announced that the 43rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards would not be televised, but they're making up for it with a new bit of exciting information: the celebratory event will be available for fans to watch via live streaming for the second time in history.
The Wrap reports that NATAS has teamed up with the live-streaming channel, Parachute TV, to provide daytime fans with behind-the-scenes access to the event on Periscope.
In addition to traditional red carpet coverage on Parachute TV, fans will have the unique opportunity to interact with this year's Emmy winners, who will be connecting with fans after they make their way backstage.
"Awards shows are doing an incredible job with live-streaming apps like Periscope and Facebook Live," said Parachute TV Co-Founder Caroline Lesley, who will also serve as one of the event's hosts on Periscope. "And giving fans a chance to interact with their favorite celebrities backstage is another great step forward."
And get this: the Sunday, May 1, event being held at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles isn't the only thing fans will be able to see. Parachute TV will also be providing red carpet and behind-the-scenes coverage of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Friday, April 29.
Parachute TV, which launched on Periscope last August, now reaches more than a million viewers. Along with creating original scripted and non-scripted programming, Parachute TV has covered red carpets ranging from the Star Wars premiere to the Tribeca Film Festival. And Parachute's coverage has allowed for unique interaction with Johnny Depp, Quentin Tarantino, Cate Blanchett, Bryan Cranston, Matt Damon, and more.
"Audiences enjoy watching live, but they really love the opportunity to interact directly with the stars," says Lesley.
As daytime fans may recall, the 2014 Daytime Emmy event was offered to fans online. It wasn't exactly a raging success, so here's hoping this year's online presentation via Parachute TV and Periscope is better presented and received.
You can also keep up-to-date on all of the Daytime Emmys happenings on Soap Central's social media feeds. We'll be bringing you behind-the-scenes photos, interviews with the stars, and coverage backstage coverage on Twitter (@soapcentral), Facebook (facebook.com/soapcentral), Instagram (@thesoapcentral), and Periscope. Be sure to follow all of our accounts for unparalleled coverage of daytime's biggest night.
What do you think about the Daytime Emmy Awards being brought to fans via online streaming? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
