NATAS Releases 2020-2021 Transparency Report into Emmy® Judging Process

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) today released its 2020-2021 Transparency Report, which provides context, insight and visibility into the processes for submissions, judging and dispute adjudication and resolution for the Daytime, News & Documentary, and Sports Emmy® Award competitions.

Among the details contained in the report is information on the 2021 adoption of algorithms supervised by third-party auditors. These algorithms effectively removed the potential for arbitrary subjectivity when analyzing judging scores, behavioral patterns and ballots for outliers that may indicate improper behavior such as coordination, bias or manipulation.

In addition, the report includes results of a first-ever demographic survey of NATAS judges, implemented to better understand the judging panels’ representation of the broader community of creators whose work they were assessing. Nearly 2/3 of NATAS judges participated in this survey, the results of which will better enable NATAS to set benchmarks to advance diversity, equity and inclusion among the judging pool.

“With this report, NATAS is proud to be setting what we hope will become widely adopted benchmarks for transparency across all major awards competitions,” said Adam Sharp, President and CEO, NATAS. “As Emmy submissions have increased the demands on our judges, we felt it was vital to be open with the changes we have adopted to ensure continued, equitable treatment for all submissions.”

You can find the report here: NATAS Transparency Report

About NATAS
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) is a service organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, educational, and technical achievements within the television industry. It recognizes excellence in television with the coveted Emmy Awards for News & Documentary, Sports, Daytime, and Children’s & Family programming, as well as achievements in television Technology & Engineering.

NATAS membership consists of more than 18,000 broadcast and media professionals represented in 19 regional chapters across the country. Beyond awards, NATAS has extensive educational programs including regional student television and its Student Award for Excellence and the National Student Production Awards for outstanding journalistic work by high school students, as well as scholarships, publications, and major activities for both industry professionals and the viewing public.