Emmy Stays Home

The Emmy awards will remain with a major broadcast network, the television academy decided Wednesday night, ending a brief flirtation with cable channel HBO.

The board of governors of the Academy Television Arts & Sciences agreed to an eight-year, $52 million deal with ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC, said academy chairman Bryce Zabel.

The 54-year-old Emmy Awards, while not as popular as the Oscars, are believed to generate a profit of between $10 million and $20 million for the network airing the ceremony that year.

The academy is seeking a bigger share of the pie to help fund its educational programs and industry events.

Broadcasters noted they have to foot the bill for production costs of about $5 million as well as marketing expenses.

Although HBO is a premium channel, it was expected to unscramble its signal for the Emmys to reach all cable and satellite viewers. The big four networks pointed out, however, that 14 percent of U.S. homes receive only over-the-air TV and could not see an HBO show.

By Lynn Elber