It’s official: “The 42nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards” will be broadcast live on Pop on Sunday, April 26 from 8:00 PM, ET/5:00 PM, PT from the historic Warner Bros. Studios lot on Stage 16, it was announced today by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS). The awards show, which will share space previously utilized by such iconic films as “Casablanca,” “Jurassic Park” and “Ghostbusters,” will be executive produced by Michael Levitt and his Michael Levitt Productions banner. Credited for creating the “TV Land Awards,” Levitt has previously produced “The Billboard Music Awards,” “The Producers Guild Awards” and the “Young Hollywood Awards,” along with several other award shows, music specials, reality shows, live events, non-fiction informational series and reunion specials.

While the date for the 42nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards wasn’t necessarily a secret, it was still somewhat surprising when it was revealed that next year’s Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards would be taking place on Friday, April 24 and the big show would be taking place on Sunday, April 26 – the earliest either ceremony will have taken place since at least 2006. In an interview with David Michaels, Senior Executive Director and Co-Executive Producer for the Daytime Emmy Awards & Events, who notes to Soap Opera Network that we can likely thank “The Young and the Restless'” Christian Le Blanc (Michael Baldwin) for revealing the dates online, the executive addresses the red carpet debacle that rocked the industry earlier this year, while also providing insight into what we can look forward to seeing from both the creative side and the broadcast side for next year’s telecast, and a greater understanding of how four new categories will change the future of the awards ceremony.

On Thursday, June 5, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS), which oversees the Daytime Emmy® Awards, announced that on Sunday, June 22, its presentation of “The 41st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards” will mark the first time the organization will have presented the awards show exclusively online as a live stream. This follows NATAS being unable to secure a television deal for daytime’s biggest night.