Television’s biggest night is finally in the rearview mirror, but if you missed the live broadcast or you're trying to figure out how to catch the encore presentations, the timing for the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards was a bit of a whirlwind.
Honestly, it feels like every year the schedule gets more cluttered with pre-shows, "countdowns," and digital red carpets. If you were searching for what time are the emmys 2025, the main event officially kicked off at 8:00 PM ET (5:00 PM PT) on Sunday, September 14, 2025.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
The ceremony, which took over the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles, was hosted by comedian Nate Bargatze. He actually did a pretty decent job keeping things moving, though the show still clocked in at just over three hours. If you're looking for the specifics of the broadcast, who won, or how to stream the ceremony now that the live curtain has closed, I’ve got the breakdown below.
The Actual 2025 Emmy Schedule: What Time Did Things Start?
Most people think they just need to show up at 8:00 PM and they’re good. Not really. If you wanted the full "Hollywood experience" without leaving your couch, the day actually started hours earlier.
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Here is how the timing shook out for the 77th Emmys:
- 2:00 PM PT / 5:00 PM ET: The E! "Countdown to the Emmys" began. This is basically two hours of fashion experts and hosts like Christian Siriano and Melissa Peterman speculating on who is wearing what.
- 3:30 PM PT / 6:30 PM ET: The official red carpet coverage started on CBS. This is where the heavy hitters like the cast of Severance and The White Lotus actually started showing up.
- 5:00 PM PT / 8:00 PM ET: The main ceremony. This is the what time are the emmys 2025 answer most people need. The show was broadcast live coast-to-coast on CBS and streamed simultaneously on Paramount+.
- 8:00 PM PT / 11:00 PM ET: The expected wrap-up time. In reality, the show ran about 3 hours and 4 minutes, ending just after 11:00 PM on the East Coast.
Where to Stream and How to Watch Now
If you missed the live airing on September 14, you aren't totally out of luck. Paramount+ is the primary home for the 2025 ceremony.
If you have a Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscription, you were able to watch it live via your local CBS affiliate feed. For those on the Paramount+ Essential plan (the cheaper one with ads), the ceremony became available for on-demand viewing the very next day, Monday, September 15.
Keep in mind that these streaming rights are often "rolling." Usually, the full ceremony stays up for a few weeks or months before being chopped up into individual clips on YouTube or the Television Academy’s official website.
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What about the Creative Arts Emmys?
This is where people always get confused. The "big" Emmys—the ones with the famous actors and the shiny dresses—are the Primetime Emmys. But the Creative Arts Emmys, which cover things like guest actors, cinematography, and sound mixing, happened a week earlier on September 6 and 7. Those were eventually edited into a broadcast that aired on FXX on Saturday, September 13.
Nate Bargatze and the Fight Against Long Speeches
One of the more interesting details about the 2025 show was the choice of host. Nate Bargatze isn't your typical snarky Hollywood MC. He’s a clean-cut, deadpan stand-up from Tennessee.
Before the show, he actually went on Entertainment Tonight and joked about a "savage" plan to keep the show on time. He suggested a system where a charity donation would decrease every second an actor went over their allotted speech time. It didn't quite happen like that—the standard "play-off music" still did most of the heavy lifting—but the show felt tighter than in years past.
Who Actually Won? (The Quick Version)
You can't talk about what time are the emmys 2025 without mentioning who stayed up late to collect the trophies. It was a massive night for Apple TV+ and HBO/Max.
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- Best Comedy Series: The Studio (Apple TV+). Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg finally took home the big one.
- Best Drama Series: The Pitt (HBO Max). This medical drama really dominated the conversation all year.
- Best Limited Series: Adolescence (Netflix). This one was a bit of an upset but well-deserved.
Interestingly, Severance had the most total nominations (27!) but The Studio ended up breaking records for the most wins for a comedy series in a single night.
Why the Timing Matters for 2026 and Beyond
If you're reading this and realized you missed the 2025 window, don't worry—the cycle is already starting again. The Television Academy has already announced that the 78th Emmy Awards will move over to NBC.
They are currently slated for September 14, 2026. Yes, exactly one year to the day after the 2025 show.
Actionable Next Steps for TV Fans
- Check Paramount+ immediately: If you want to see the 2025 ceremony in full, do it soon. These full-broadcast licenses often expire within 30 to 90 days of the air date.
- Follow the winners on Social: Most of the big moments (like the Gilmore Girls 25th-anniversary reunion or the Law & Order 35th-anniversary tribute) are available as standalone clips on the CBS YouTube channel.
- Update your 2026 Calendar: Mark Sunday, September 14, 2026, for the next round. Since it's on NBC next year, it'll likely stream on Peacock rather than Paramount+.
- Watch "The Oner": If you haven't seen the episode of The Studio that won Seth Rogen his directing Emmy, it’s a single-take masterpiece. Definitely worth the 30-minute investment.
The 2025 Emmys might be over, but the shift in how we watch them—jumping between live TV, Paramount+, and TikTok highlights—is the new normal. Just remember that 8:00 PM ET is the "golden hour" for almost every major American awards show.