Like TV Itself, Emmy Arms Race Only Escalating

12/06/2017

Why This Matters Emmy nominations and wins burnish TV brands, and networks are working hard to score them.

Related: Adding Pop to FYC Push for Schitt's Creek' Star

If you open any Hollywood trade magazine or visit industry news websites around this time of year - or if you just happen to be driving down the Sunset Strip - you can't miss them: For Your Consideration ads coming at you from every magazine page, web banner, pop-up and billboard.

As Peak TV continues to peak, it's harder than ever to grab the attention of Emmy voters, so networks and streaming services from Acorn TV to FX to Lifetime to Netflix are going wall to wall to try to make an impression.

Emmy nominations and wins are extremely important for the FX brand, FX Networks CEO John Landgraf said. Dating back to when The Shield and Michael Chiklis' win put FX on the map 15 years ago, we've had the great fortune of having award-worthy shows and talent associated with those shows.

HBO was the pioneer of using Emmy as a marketing tool. Back in 2004, with such breakout shows as The Sopranos and Six Feet Under, the premium network started scooping up golden statues. HBO's rivals took notice and, since then, the Emmys have become a pitched battle for recognition, branding and bragging rights.

Everybody looks at HBO as the gold standard; deservedly so, Landgraf said. That said, last year FX finished second to HBO in both Emmy nominations [56, a basic cable record] and wins [18, also a basic cable record], which was more than any other network or streaming service, and only behind HBO's 22 wins. Clearly, FX has come a long way over the past 15 years and our success at the Emmys has helped establish FX as one of the premier brands in television.

Getting Voter Attention

With so much television on the air - and so much of it really good - it's hard for Emmy voters or for viewers in general to experience even a solid sampling of everything on offer.

To combat that, networks take several tacks to get their word out. The tried-and-true method is the FYC campaign, which typically involves running ads in trade magazines. Advertising and editorial coverage go hand in hand, so trade magazines also step up the number of stories they dedicate to Emmy-worthy shows and performances around this time of year.

Every year, we are focused on all the essential parts of a solid Emmy campaign: strong editorial coverage in the trades, a robust advertising campaign with striking imagery, For Your Consideration screenings and panel discussions and targeted stunts, Landgraf said. We also have the fortune of highlighting the critical acclaim our shows receive in our advertising.

The time frame within which to accomplish all of this is very specific: On Monday, June 12, voting begins to determine the Emmy nominations; that process concludes June 26. Nominations will be announced July 13. Voting on the winners then starts on Aug. 14 and concludes on Aug. 28.

The 69th annual Emmy Awards take place Sunday, Sept. 17, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles and will air on CBS, with Stephen Colbert as host.

Beyond running trade ads and scoring stories, networks work closely with the TV Academy to host official panels and screenings. Each network only gets a few dates - awarded through a lottery system - to promote their wares in front of a room full of Academy members and Emmy voters, so these dates are scarce and highly prized. The TV Academy closely guards its list of 22,000 voting members, and anyone who wants to reach that list has to work through the organization.

Related: And the Nominees Were

While networks do everything they can to take advantage of that, they know those dates alone won't meet their needs, so they also try to reach Emmy voters in other ways. Screenings and events may be offered for relevant groups within the guilds, such as the Writers Guild of America or SAG-AFTRA, or special activations are created. Many networks set up websites where voters can screen all of a network's programming for free.

The Academy also sent members a Google Chromecast streaming device (with instructions on how to use it) so that they could cast video from the online viewing platform onto a television.

Subscription video-on-demand service Acorn TV - which offers U.K.-originated programming, such as made-for-TV movie Agatha Christie's The Witness for the Prosecution and limited series Close to the Enemy - allows Emmy voters and media members to watch its shows for free at https://acorn.tv/awards.

We have a great relationship with Emmy magazine, so we've got a nice ad with an FYC disk in the current issue, Acorn TV general manager Matt Graham said. We do a bit of guild outreach and a handful of ads in other targeted publications. For us, it's about the quality of the content. That's why we put up an FYC site that is super-accessible, with no passwords required. We want Academy members to check out the service and we give out a free code to Academy members.

Acorn TV managed to score an Emmy nomination in 2015 for another of its made-for-TV movies: Agatha Christie's Poirot: Curtain. That has inspired the streaming service - whose parent company, RLJ Entertainment, owns a majority share in Agatha Christie Ltd. - to continue to pursue nominations.

We did work really hard for that nomination and we were obviously thrilled to get it, Graham said. It inspired us to continue with a guerilla, organic strategy that's based on the strength of the content.

Acorn faces additional hurdles in its quest for nominations and wins because not many voters subscribe to the niche streaming service - hence the awards website - and it's based in Silver Spring, Md., so it's not in the mix in Hollywood like most of its bigger competitors are.

It's tough for us, because t

LINK:	http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/programming/tv-itself-emmy-arms-...
	See more stories from bandc

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

18/03/2026

Net Insight Names Larissa GrnerMeeus CPO

Newly named chief product officer (CPO), Larissa G rner Meeus will return to Net Insight on May 4. Larissa G rner Meeus will become CPO of Net Insight on May 4...

18/03/2026

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026: Select Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026 explored how the sports broadcasting i...

18/03/2026

SVG's SportsTech@NABShow Blog Goes Live as Countdown to Vegas Heats Up

The 2026 NAB Show kicks off one month from today and SVG is once again set to cover the show from every angle. SVG's SportsTech@NAB Show Blog is now live - ...

18/03/2026

The Premiere of Dead Lover Showcases Grave Robbing and Sex With a Giant Finger

(L-R) The cast and crew of Dead Lover at The Ray Theater for its premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo by Robin Marshall/Shutterstock for Sundan...

18/03/2026

Music Row Piano from Wiltone Productions

Yamaha C7 captured in Nashville Wiltone Productions have announced the release of Music Row Piano, a deeply sampled Yamaha C7 piano library that's been ...

18/03/2026

Techivation introduce T-Warmer Mk2

Bass-enhancement plug-in upgraded Along with a steady stream of new releases, Techivation have recently been revisiting some of the older plug-ins in their ...

18/03/2026

Tonal Balance Control 3 from iZotope

Mix-reference plug-in overhauled iZotope's powerful mix-referencing plug-in has just reached its third major version, and now boasts a new capture proce...

18/03/2026

Toontrack Transistor Organ EKX

Latest EZKeys 2 expansion arrives Toontrack's staggering collection of EZKeys 2 expansions has grown once again, and the latest instalment delivers a on...

18/03/2026

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture 18 March, 2026 Media releases New SBS Audio podcast For The Culture, hosted ...

18/03/2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz at NAB 2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz...

18/03/2026

LCTWS 2026

London Calling - When The Industry Convened to Help Streaming Find its MoJo In this blog, Laura Rognoni reflects on key discussions from the Connected TV World...

18/03/2026

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, a...

18/03/2026

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments LED wall virtual production blends 12K open gate acquisition w...

18/03/2026