I haven't watched any awards show in several years. I used to tune in for the last 30 minutes of the Oscars, but don't even bother anymore.

For a while, there were just too many awards shows on and the "big" ones started to lose their meaning.

The Emmys are especially frustrating as they seem to nominate the same people year after year (who've already won for the same role) and they never seem to nominate the interesting, challenging programs (BSG, The Wire, The Shield, etc) for anything other than technical awards.

Here's what award shows don't really get: it's not really a matter of which categories are aired; it has to do with the fact that award shows just aren't that popular anymore. Of course, there's a segment of the population obsessed with celebrities, what they're wearing, and who they're dating, but that audience is not increasing. When there were only three major networks and little else on television that night the award shows could dominate, but when the other networks often counter-program and the myriad of cable networks available that's just not the case.

I mean, you can maybe understand moving the mini-series category since no network really does those anymore other than HBO and a couple of other cable networks. What I found interesting is time-shifting the drama writing category. If they did that because Mad Men dominated 4 of the 5 nominations then that's wrong if they didn't also move the comedy writing category, which was dominated by the unfunny and past its prime 30 Rock.

I predict this will have little impact on the ratings.

All these types of shows are pointless, just like reality shows

The Tony's do the same thing and the effect is really not that different than seeing the winner live.