The Walt Disney Co. came out with 86 nominations in the inaugural Children’s & Family Emmy Awards, presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
That was just enough to top the 85 nominations received by Netflix Inc. The awards will to be presented on Dec. 10 and 11 at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles.
Fellow streamer HBO Max, which has an office in Culver City, came in far behind with 14 nominations, while Peacock, the streaming operation of NBCUniversal in Universal City, had just nine nominations.
Other production companies with nominations includ YouTube, Hulu, Apple TV+, PBS and Paramount+.
Children’s and family content represents the fastest-growing genre that the National Academy, in New York., awards; the category has experienced a 23% increase in related programming over the last two years. With nearly 3,000 submissions, the competition is now the largest that the Academy oversees, according to a release from the organization.
The National Academy is not to be confused with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the North Hollywood-based organization that hold the annual primetime Emmy Awards.
In addition to the Children’s and Family Emmy Awards show, the National Academy is also responsible for the Daytime Emmys, and awards for sports, documentaries and news.
National Academy Chief Executive Adam Sharp said it was an exciting moment for the television industry to put a spotlight on children’s and family programming after years of unparalleled growth in content quality and quantity.
“These programs entertain, inform and educate family members of all ages, and (the National Academy) is proud to mark this milestone event and give these creators the stage they deserve,” Sharp said in a statement.
Out of the 82 nominations received by Disney, the Burbank-based entertainment and media giant, more than 60 were for Disney+ content. The others were for shows produced by Disney Channel, Lucasfilm Ltd., Pixar Animation Studios and Hulu, the company’s other streaming service. Its series “The Mysterious Benedict Society” and “Sneakerella” led all programs, with 11 nominations each.
The categories that Disney’s shows were nominated in include: Outstanding Young Teen Series for “Benedict Society;” Outstanding Fiction Special and Outstanding Directing for a Single Camera Program for “Sneakerella;” Outstanding Writing for a Young Teen Program for “Better Nate than Ever;” and Outstanding Writing for an Animated Program and Outstanding Directing for an Animated Program for “Dug Days.”
The Children’s & Family awards are the first standalone expansion of the Emmy Award competition since 1979, the National Academy’s release said.
