Emmy's To Stay In Downtown LA

LOS ANGELES, CA — The Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles will remain the home of the Emmy Awards at least through 2022, it was reported Tuesday.

The Television Academy and AEG have extended their decade-long partnership, which keeps television's most prestigious awards show at AEG's 7,100-seat Microsoft Theater at the L.A. Live entertainment center, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday morning. The new agreement, to be announced later Tuesday, kicks in with this year's Emmy extravaganzas, which culminate with the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 22.

The new agreement is a coup for AEG, the Los Angeles sports and live entertainment giant, as it faces an increasingly crowded field of venues vying for marquee events, according to The Times.

Last year, the Banc of California Stadium opened near USC, close to downtown Los Angeles. The Forum in Inglewood, which is owned by rival Madison Square Garden Co., has long been a go-to spot for concerts. Also in Inglewood, the Los Angeles Rams are building a $5-billion stadium, which will serve as the jewel of a sprawling entertainment complex that is scheduled to include a concert hall. And the Dolby Theatre, with a trendy Hollywood address, is home to the Oscars and, increasingly, Broadway shows.

"We're very happy that the Television Academy re-upped," said Lee Zeidman, president of the Microsoft Theater, Staples Center and L.A. Live. ``The Emmys were the first deal that we did back when the theater was known as the Nokia, and it was the success of the Emmys that showcased us as a multi- purpose venue capable of handling large-scale events.*

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The contract replaces one struck in 2008.

City News Service