The Television Academies Realign Daytime & Primetime Emmy Awards
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) and the Television Academy are jointly announcing plans to shift the Daytime and Primetime Emmy Awards.
Going forward, competitions will be organized by content genre as opposed to the current rules which separate programs based on airtime. The announcement comes following the news of the Academies’ recent collaboration on expanding the Children’s & Family Emmy Awards in a standalone franchise.
This change represents a transition that allows competitions to reflect consumers’ evolving viewing habits, reduces category overlapping, and provides clarity on eligibility requirements.
(Credit: Daytime Emmys)
“NATAS and the Television Academy each pride ourselves on celebrating and honoring the best television has to offer, and with the evolution of our industry, it was critical to update our competitions to meet current trends in both content and viewing habits,” said Adam Sharp, President and CEO of NATAS. “These changes will allow each Academy to honor an undivided scope of achievement in our respective fields of television excellence.”
Maury McIntyre, President and COO of the Television Academy echoed Sharp’s comments, as they added, “The realignment of these Emmy competitions represents the most significant collaboration between the Television Academy and NATAS since the two became separate entities in 1977. We’re proud to be responsive to the needs of the creative community and the evolution of our industry, ensuring the Emmy Award remains the preeminent mark of excellence across all genres of television.”
More information about each category change will be forthcoming in the Daytime Emmys Call for Entries, which is scheduled to release in January, but in the meantime, there are several notable updates.
(Credit: Television Academy/Emmys)
Scripted dramas and comedies will enter the Television Academy-administered national competition, regardless of airtime. There are two exceptions that will enter the NATAS’ national competitions, the first being programming intended for ages 15 and under being represented in the Children’s & Family competition. The second exception is that Daytime Drama categories will remain in the Daytime competition and be redefined to include “any multi-camera, weekday daily serial, spin-off or reboot.”
Meanwhile, programming previously awarded in the Limited Drama categories of the Daytime competition will transition to the Primetime competition. And talk shows will be awarded in each competition, separated by format and styles found in the daytime and late-night spaces.
The Morning Show and Spanish-Language Morning Show categories will be retired from the Daytime competition and instead will be eligible in the NATAS-administered News & Documentary Emmys or the Daytime’s Talk Show categories, depending on the show’s format.
Game Show and Instructional & DIY programming categories will remain divided by airtime for the 2022 competitions as the Academies evaluate their genre-based strategy for the 2023 competition. And all other categories will be clarified so that content creators will submit to a single competition on the basis of genre.
In order to allow enough time for submissions and judging the periods for Daytime, Primetime, and Children’s & Family competitions will be spread out throughout the year. Both the Television Academy and NATAS will also form a joint-Academy panel to help make eligibility determinations between competitions and categories.
Stay tuned to see how these changes are implemented as the Daytime and Primetime Emmys unfold in 2022.
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