
42nd Sports Emmy Nominations: ESPN Tops Among the Networks, Super Bowl LV Leads All Programs By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Tuesday, April 20, 2021 - 4:21 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
In a year of sports production unlike any other, ESPN led all network groups with 54 nominations, and CBS Sports' presentation of Super Bowl LV topped all individual programs with 11 nods in the 42nd Annual Sports Emmy Awards nominations. The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) unveiled the nominees today, and the ceremony will be live-streamed at Watch.TheEmmys.TV on June 8 at 8 p.m. ET.
ESPN's 54 nods were the most of any network group, followed by Fox Sports (with 31), NFL Media (28), NBC Sports Group (25), CBS Sports (24), Turner Sports (20), HBO (13), MLB Network (10), Netflix (9), RBTV and Univision (5 each), and YouTube, Apple TV , and Showtime (3 each).
CBS's Super Bowl LV earned the most nominations of any program, while NFL Network's NFL 360 had a breakout year with nine nods and ESPN's E:60 had seven. Four nominations apiece went to Fos NASCAR, Fox NFL Sunday, NFL Network's NFL Total Access, HBO's Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel, Netflix's Rising Phoenix, and ESPN's SC Featured. Turner's 2020 NBA All-Star Game on TNT, Fox NFL, Apple TV 's Greatness Code, Turner's Inside the NBA, MLB Network's MLB Tonight, RBTV's The Old World - A Mindtrip Through Europe, and ESPN's The Undefeated Presents each earned three nominations.
Today, we honor the talented professionals who, during this unprecedented time of a worldwide pandemic, still found ways to inform, entertain, and excite the passionate fan base that makes up the sports universe, said NATAS President/CEO Adam Sharp in the announcement. The challenges they have overcome and this inspiring and diverse set of nominees are nothing short of remarkable.
In a year when sports production literally ground to a halt, added Justine Gubar, executive director, Sports Emmy Awards, NATAS, we received a record number of submissions. From innovative solutions to the constraints of production during the pandemic to the superb storytelling that confronted the social-justice issues of our times, we are so proud of what our nominees were able to achieve. I'm particularly excited about the debut of our Outstanding Sports Personality - Emerging On-Air Talent category, which welcomes five new sports personalities into the Emmy-nominee family.
On the technology side, the George Wensel Technical Achievement Award will go to one of the five nominees: Fox NASCAR's Racing Drone, Fox NFL's Megalodon, MLB Network Showcase's Statcast 3D, MLB Postseason on TBS's Base Cam, or NBC's HDR LUTs on Notre Dame Football.
In the Outstanding Technical Team Event category, CBS earned nominations for its Masters and Super Bowl LV coverage, ESPN was nominated for its College Football Playoff National Championship, Fox for its NASCAR coverage, and ESPN/TNT/NBA for the NBA Bubble operation.
On the Outstanding Technical Team Studio side, nods went to the 2020 NFL Draft by ESPN/ABC/NFL Network, ESPN's College GameDay, Fox's NASCAR coverage, MLB Network's MLB Tonight, and The Super Bowl Today on CBS.
Also of note in the live-event categories, Outstanding Live Event Audio/Sound nominations went to NBC's NASCAR coverage and Sunday Night Football, Fox MLB, The NFL on CBS, and ESPN's US Open tennis coverage. In addition, the award for Outstanding Live Graphic Design will g to one of the following: ESPN's College Football, Fox NFL, MLB Networks' MLB Tonight (Welcome Home), Nickelodeon/CBS's NFC Wild Card Game, or CBS's Super Bowl LV.
Here is a full list of the nominees:
OUTSTANDING LIVE SPORTS SPECIAL
2020 NBA All-Star Game on TNT - TNT
The 116th World Series (Tampa Bay Rays vs. Los Angeles Dodgers) - FOX
The 146th Kentucky Derby - NBC
The Match on TNT, Champions for Charity - TNT
Super Bowl LV (Kansas City Chiefs vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers) - CBS
OUTSTANDING LIVE SPORTS SERIES
FOX NASCAR - FOX/FS1
FOX NFL - FOX/NFL Network
NFL on CBS - CBS
PGA Tour on CBS - CBS
Sunday Night Football - NBC
OUTSTANDING PLAYOFF COVERAGE
2020 NBA Playoffs on TNT - TNT
AFC Playoffs - CBS
NASCAR Playoffs on NBC - NBC/NBCSN
NFC Wild Card Game (Chicago Bears vs. New Orleans Saints) - Nickelodeon/CBS Sports
Sunday Night Football: Playoffs - NBC/Peacock
OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL TEAM EVENT
College Football Playoff National Championship (Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Alabama Crimson Tide) - ESPN
FOX NASCAR - FOX/FS1
The Masters - CBS
NBA Bubble - ESPN/TNT/NBA
Super Bowl LV (Kansas City Chiefs vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers) - CBS
OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL TEAM STUDIO
2020 NFL Draft - ESPN/ABC/NFL Network
College GameDay - ESPN
FOX NASCAR - FOX/FS1
MLB Tonight - MLB Network
The Super Bowl Today - CBS
THE GEORGE WENSEL TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
FOX NASCAR, The Racing Drone - FOX/FS1
FOX NFL, Megalodon - FOX
MLB Network Showcase, Statcast 3D - MLB Network
MLB Postseason on TBS, Base Cam - TBS
Notre Dame Football, NBC HDR LUTs - NBC
OUTSTANDING EDITED SPORTS EVENT COVERAGE
America's Game: The 2019 Kansas City Chiefs - NFL Network/NFL Films
Hey Rookie: Welcome To The NFL: 2020 NFL Draft - ESPN/NFL Films
NFL Game Day All-Access, Super Bowl LV - NFL Network/NFL Films
NHL on NBC, WIRED: Stadium Series - Los Angeles Kings vs. Colorado Avalanche - NBCSN
UFC The Walk, McGregor vs. Cowboy - UFC Fight Pass/UFC
OUTSTANDING EDITED SPORTS SPECIAL
Inside the NBA, Kobe Bryant Memorial - TNT
NFL 360, Black History Month - NFL Network
NFL 360, Women in Football - NFL Network
SC Presents: 2020 - Heroes, History and Hope - ESPN
The Undefeated Presents, The Stop - Living, Driving and Dying While Black - ESPN
OUTSTANDING EDITED S
North America Stories
16/10/2026
The LA Clippers have announced their local television plan for the 2026-27 seaso...
16/10/2026
At sports-media summit, he describes the success of the one-year-old agreement a...
16/10/2026
Parks Associates, in partnership with InterDigital, has published a white paper ...
16/10/2026
Cisco is expanding its work with the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment (BSE) as the 2026-27 NBA season gets underway, prov...
16/10/2026
Broadcast Management Group (BMG) has introduced Media Command, a private cloud broadcast platform that integrates recording, media asset management (MAM), chann...
16/10/2026
TNDV and GameTime Productions have expanded their remote production responsibilities for Team Boxing League (TBL) for the league's recently completed fourth...
16/10/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level have one major thing in common: the intensity and attention to detail ramps up dur...
16/10/2026
Broadcast and streaming are converging around live media. Traditional broadcasters increasingly distribute their linear services through streaming platforms alo...
16/10/2026
DAZN and Guardians League, a new professional franchise surf racing series, have announced a multi-year global broadcast partnership. Guardians League events wi...
16/10/2026
Sobatech Group is producing live coverage of the F4 Spanish Championship and Eur...
16/10/2026
The Walt Disney Company and Dude Perfect have announced an integrated creative partnership. Dude Perfect will develop original content for its own channels insp...
16/10/2026
Onsite studio show will accompany game productions in San Francisco and Atlanta
...
16/10/2026
Grass Valley s AMPP platform continues to grow in popularity, especially with th...
16/10/2026
FloSports and the National Lacrosse League (NLL) have entered a multiyear media partnership that makes FloSports the exclusive global streaming home of the NLL....
16/10/2026
At PBR Teams Series: Maverick Days at UBS Arena in Belmont Park, NY, PBR Executive Producer Jason Jacquette took a few minutes with SVG to discuss how his team ...
16/10/2026
(Suzanne Cordeiro/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)
By Patty Consolazio
...
16/10/2026
The launch of the autumn programming schedules on traditional TV channels translated into a noticeable increase in total video viewership. Poles spent an averag...
16/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/10/2026
Globecast, a leading provider of media integration and managed services for the sports broadcast industry, will showcase the latest developments in Content Exch...
16/10/2026
Boston Conservatory Wind Ensemble Presents America at 250 The free event, taking place at Samuel Adams Park at Faneuil Hall, features a program of inspiring A...
16/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/10/2026
ON Creative Visual Tech Provider has completed the audiovisual design and integration for Nubank Arte Lab, Brazil's largest permanent immersive art space. T...
16/10/2026
Beam Dynamics has appointed Brian Mauger as Regional Sales Manager, North America, strengthening its commercial team as the company expands across media, broadc...
16/10/2026
Secret Weapon Post Uses DaVinci Resolve Studio for Gregg Araki Films
Brie Clayton October 15, 2026
0 Comments
Remote post house delivers I Want Your ...
16/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/10/2026
The Stand that started it all in a matched pair of the industry-trusted C-Stands The 2-Pack provides both in a choice of chrome or black finish...
16/10/2026
New lineup brings professional rigging, lens support, power, and mounting flexibility to Sony's compact cinema camera
Wooden Camera today announced a new p...
16/10/2026
Cinematographer John Matysiak ( Old Henry, Winning Time, Big George Foreman ) brings a vivid breathlessness to the near-wordless film Motor City. An actio...
16/10/2026
Next Jazz Legacy Celebrates Five Years of Mentorship and Impact Across the Jazz ...
15/10/2026
E! and USA Sports will air Live from the Orange Carpet: WNBA Finals, a one-hour live special hosted by Lilly Singh, on Monday, October 19 at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. ...
15/10/2026
Eutelsat has renewed its partnership with Antik Sat, the direct-to-home (DTH) television platform operated by Antik Telecom, and A1, a communications provider i...
15/10/2026
FOR-A America continues to expand its product portfolio in new directions, moves which are also giving the company more stickiness when it comes to a North Amer...
15/10/2026
Cerberus Tech has introduced Livelink Studio, an integrated cloud production and master control environment that provides redundant live production engines on d...
15/10/2026
USSI Global has promoted Amanda Flynn to Chief Operating Officer (COO). Flynn, who has served as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) since March 2024, will focus on exp...
15/10/2026
DAZN and Titan World Series have extended their partnership for the coming seasons, with the aim of bringing Titan events free-to-view to audiences worldwide. T...
15/10/2026
Sony Electronics has introduced the ECM-W5 wireless microphone system for video creators, which pairs two transmitters with one receiver. It transmits over a li...
15/10/2026
Perfect Game has extended its partnership with Turtlebox as the Official Bluetoo...
15/10/2026
Eden Project, the UK-based visitor attraction, social enterprise, and educational charity, is using the LiveU EcoSystem to produce and deliver its new Eden Proj...
15/10/2026
HuskerVision, the video production and multimedia operation for University of Nebraska Athletics, has deployed Grass Valley K-Frame production switchers and LDX...
15/10/2026
ESPN has launched ESPN JV (Junior Varsity), a YouTube channel aimed at introducing young audiences to sports through family-friendly content. The channel featur...
15/10/2026
SMAC Entertainment, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), and EverWonder Studio have la...