Daytime Emmys 2026: How to Watch Friday's YouTube-Only Ceremony

The 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards land on Friday, October 30 — but not in the daytime, and not on traditional television. For a second consecutive year, the ceremony honoring the best in daytime soaps, talk and news will stream exclusively on the YouTube page of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS), the organizing body behind the awards.

That's a notable shift from recent precedent. The Daytime Emmys aired on CBS from 2020 through 2024. Now the broadcast home is gone entirely, and the YouTube channel is the only door in.

What time does the livestream start?

The ceremony takes place at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. The schedule breaks down like this:

• Red carpet preshow: 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET
• Ceremony: 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET
• Where: NATAS' official YouTube page

Viewers who follow trade coverage can also watch via Deadline's embedded stream of the event.

Who leads the nominations?

CBS' The Young and the Restless comes into the night as the front-runner, topping all programs with 18 nominations. It's a comfortable margin over the rest of the soap field:

• Beyond the Gates (CBS) — 15 nominations
• General Hospital (ABC) — 13 nominations

On the talk side, The Kelly Clarkson Show leads all talk shows with 10 nominations — and does so in its final year of eligibility, giving the syndicated hour one last swing at the trophies.

Who's being honored beyond the categories?

General Hospital veteran Genie Francis receives NATAS' Live Achievement award during the ceremony. The night also honors this year's Gold Circle and Silver Circle recipients, the academy's recognitions for long-career service to television.

Which names are presenting?

The announced presenters and appearances span daytime regulars, talk personalities and food and travel faces. Expect:

Eva zu Beck, Danielle Chang, Crystal Chappell, Matthew Hoffman, Sunny Hostin, Derek Hough, Pati Jinich, Star Jones, Michael Jr., Lesli Kay, Joe Lando, Eva LaRue, Katelyn MacMullen, A Martinez, Greg Mathis, Delon de Metz, Juliet Mills, Keke Palmer, James Preston, Paul Telfer, Tamara Tunie, Nischelle Turner, Susan Walters, Alicia Leigh Willis and Andrew Zimmern.

What does the streaming-only move change?

For the second year running, there is no linear TV home for the Daytime Emmys — a striking fall for a franchise that had a CBS slot as recently as 2024. The practical effect for the race's visibility is straightforward: nominees, presenters and winners reach their audience through NATAS' YouTube channel rather than a network broadcast window, and red carpet coverage starts digitally at 4 p.m. PT.

Winners are being tracked in real time by trade outlets including Deadline's live winners list as the statuettes come off the table at the Palladium.