HOLLYWOOD — Like the Oscars before it, the upcoming 71st Emmy Awards ceremony will go on without a celebrity host, organisers announced on Wednesday.

The decision will allow the September ceremony to dedicate more time to the television shows nominated for honours, said Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier.

"If you have a host and an opening number, that's 15-20 minutes that you don't have to salute the shows," Collier said at a gathering of industry reporters.

The last time the Emmys skipped having a host was in 2003. It only happened two other times, in 1975 and 1998.

This year's event honouring the best television shows is scheduled for September 22.

The decision to go ahead without a host could help shake up a ceremony often considered too slow, which suffered from disappointing ratings last year.

In February the Oscars also decided to go without a host after their original choice for the job, Kevin Hart, pulled out when old homophobic tweets of his resurfaced.

In the end the event was considered a success and the show enjoyed an increase in ratings over the previous year. — AFP