The 44th Daytime Emmy Awards, presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), "recognizes outstanding achievement in all fields of daytime television production and are presented to individuals and programs broadcast from 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. during the 2016 calendar year". The ceremony took place on April 30, 2017 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, in Pasadena, California, and began at 5:00 p.m. PST / 8:00 p.m. EST. The ceremony, livestreamed in the United States by Facebook Live and Periscope Producer, was executively produced by Michael Levitt, David Parks, and the Senior Vice President of the Daytime Emmy Awards, David Michaels. Actors and television hosts Mario Lopez and Sheryl Underwood hosted the ceremony for the first time.
In related events, the Academy held its 44th Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony also at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on April 28, 2017. On January 26, 2017, the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Mary Hart. Soap Opera Digest reported that former All My Children star Susan Lucci would make an appearance at the ceremony, as part of a segment paying tribute to the serial's creator, Agnes Nixon.
The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced and implemented some category and rule changes for the 44th Daytime Emmy Awards:
The nominees for the 44th Daytime Emmy Awards were announced on March 22, 2017, during an episode of CBS's daytime talk show The Talk. The Young and the Restless led all nominees with 25 nominations; The Bold and the Beautiful came in second with 23.
Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger (). <div style="float:right;clear:right">
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The following individuals presented awards or performed musical acts.