By Contributor,Maha Abouelenein

Copyright forbes

Tramell Tillman accepts the Emmy award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for “Severance” at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards.
Variety via Getty Images

Last night’s Emmys kicked off award season, but despite celebrating television excellence, the live viewership experience of shows like the Emmys is not what it used to be. People no longer sit through three hour long broadcasts when the best moments go viral in just a few seconds.

This raises a bigger question: how do these institutions stay relevant in our changing media landscape? The lesson isn’t just for Hollywood, it’s for leaders, brands, and anyone trying to communicate in 2025.

The Shift of Live Event Viewership

Audiences for the Oscars, The Golden Globes, and The Emmys have shifted over the years. The cause? We now live in a culture of clips, our attention is shorter as we’ve transitioned from transitional media to platforms like Youtube, TikTok, and Instagram reels. The audience no longer has to sit down at a start time of 8PM ET to make sure they are catching all of the best moments live, instead, they can scroll their X and TikTok feeds to see the best moments, and still be in touch with what’s happening at these award shows. The opportunity? Stop thinking of these events as a one time broadcast, and start thinking of them as what they can be: multi platform storytelling experiences.

What’s Actually Working

Social Media Viral Moments: A single acceptance speech can do more on TikTok than a whole telecast on TV. Even further, major news platforms have adapted to this new reality and are making it even easier for viewers, by creating round ups of the most viral moments, the major wins, and the most talked about acceptance speeches, not only on their traditional media sites, but on their own social media accounts.

On Demand Access: Making the show streamable helps capture younger audiences, many of whom no longer subscribe to traditional cable channels. In addition to streaming on CBS, this year, Paramount users were also able to view the award show with their subscription.

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Cause Driven Messaging: When stars use the platform to speak authentically, people pay attention. Tramell Tillman, a first time Emmy winner for his role in Apple TV’s, Severance, made waves on the internet when he leaned into emotional driven storytelling, dedicating most of his acceptance speech to his mother, “Mama, you were there for me when no one else was and no one else would show up”.

The PR & Communication Lesson

When it comes to modern communications, The Emmys and all of us can learn a couple things from this.

Embrace bite sized storytelling: Attention spans are shorter than ever. Think clips, quotes, and memes, not monologues. If your story can’t be clipped, it’s likely going to be skipped.

Reimagine Tradition: The red carpet doesn’t belong to televised pre shows anyone. Embrace the new media format, think live TikTok’s, Instagram collaborations with designers, and interactive digital first coverage.

The Emmys must evolve from a broadcast into a hybrid media brand, part live show, part social spectacle. The same challenge every company and brand is facing right now. Everyone is in the business of building cultural relevance. It’s not just about what story you’re telling, but how you’re delivering it, across all platforms in a way that resonates.

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